India have recorded their joint biggest-ever T20I run chase at the SHaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur against New Zealand.
They were challenged by the Black Caps to score 209 runs in 20 overs. The Men in Blue went ahead and did that inside 16 overs.
Abhishek Sharma, who India rely heavily on for a solid start failed to score any runs today. Sanju Samson departed on a low score as well, but it was Ishan Kishan and the captain, Suryakumar Yadav, who took the responsibility on their shoulders.
India Beat New Zealand By 7 Wickets
After the departure of Abhishek Sharma, on a golden duck nonetheless, would have had alarm bells ringing inside the Indian fanbase.
However, Ishan Kishan, who is returning to the national team after the 2023 ICC World Cup, took all those worries away in no time. He struck the ball with authority, and made full use of the Power Play.
He scored 76 runs off just 32 balls, an inning that featured 11 fours and 4 sixes.
Suryakumar Yadav, who hadn’t scored a half century in the format for over a year now, was on the other end and took his time to settle. When Ishan departed, he took on the role.
With 9 fours and 4 sixes, all across the field in true SKY fashion, he raced to 82 runs off 37 deliveries. Shivam Dube complemented him with an inning of 36 off 18, which featured some huge sixes.
All of this ensured that India won the match by 7 wickets, getting to 209 in just 15.2 overs. They now lead this series 2-0 with three fixtures to go ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.
Zak Foulkes’ Nightmare Spell
New Zealand’s bowling attack has been a tough challenge to face on this tour, but not today.
Getting struck for 209 in 15.2 overs should give an idea of how bad things had been for the visitors, particularly Zak Foulkes, who in a spell of just 3 overs, had conceded a whopping 67 runs.
He had a chance to get SKY’s wicket, but Mitchell Santner surprisingly dropped that regulation chance, highlighting how much of a bad day at the office it was for Foulkes and the Kiwis.
