A popular Sanju Samson blitz eluded the legion of fans, but their dejection was washed away by centurion Ishan Kishan's sensational shot-making as India posted a massive 271 for five against New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Kishan (103 off 43 balls, 6x4, 10x6), who struck his maiden hundred in the format, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (63 off 30 balls, 4x4, 6x6) treated the Kiwi bowlers with utter disdain during their 137-run third-wicket stand, which came in just over 10 overs.
In the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, India have slammed 69 sixes - the most by a team in a bilateral series. They broke the record previously held by England (64) against West Indies in 2023. A total of 23 sixes were hit in the innings, and this is the joint-most sixes conceded by a Test-playing nation in T20Is, besides 23 by South Africa, that too against India in 2024.
Team India continued their record-shattering run in T20Is, smashing the fifth-highest total by a team against a Test-playing nation in the format, with their 271/5 against New Zealand in the fifth T20I at Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
India's highest T20I score against a Test-playing nation is 297/6 against Bangladesh, which they hit in 2024 at Hyderabad. The highest score in T20Is against a Test-playing nation is England's 304/2 against South Africa in Manchester last year.
Opener Samson (6), whose fifth successive failure in the series now casts a huge shadow over his T20 World Cup prospects, could not get going and fell to pacer Lockie Ferguson. Abhishek Sharma (30 off 16 balls) gave a solid start, but extra pace from Ferguson did him in.
But India found fresh wind soon through Suryakumar and Kishan after a relatively tepid powerplay phase - 54 for two.
Kishan, who missed the fourth T20I with an unspecified injury, showed no trace of rust, putting the New Zealand bowlers through the wringer with his fast hands and nimble feet.
The left-hander began his carnage by smashing Ferguson for a four and a six over extra cover, and the runs never really stopped thereafter.
Kishan brought up his fifty in 28 balls with a four off Ish Sodhi, and Suryakumar - who also completed 3000 T20I runs - got to the landmark in two fewer balls with a six off Jacob Duffy.
Kishan, who completed 1000 T20I runs, was severe on Sodhi, creaming the leg-spinner for 29 runs in the 12th over. The sequence of his big hits read: 4, 4, 4, 6, 4, 6.
Suryakumar departed in between, getting stumped by Tim Seifert while giving the charge to his opposite number, left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.
But that did not deter Kishan.
The Jharkhand man soon reached the cherished three-figure mark in 42 balls - a six off Santner took him to 97, and the subsequent one carried him past the landmark, which he celebrated with gusto before melting into Hardik Pandya's bear hug. Kishan's second fifty came off just 14 balls.
The Kishan show finally ended when he was taken at square leg by Glenn Phillips off Duffy, walking back to the hut accompanied by cheers and whistles.
Pandya's strong hits (42 off 17 balls) towards the end ensured that India went past the 250-run mark for the fourth time in their T20I history
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/NUOrjB1
Comments
Post a Comment