Guwahati T20I: India chase 154 off 60 balls against NZ
What's the story
India beat New Zealand in the 3rd T20I at Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium on January 25. The Men in Blue chased down 154 on the back of Abhishek Sharma's blistering knock. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav added 102* runs with Abhishek as India were home in 10 overs. Jasprit Bumrah earlier took three wickets. With three successive wins, India have sealed the five-match series.
Start
India punish bowlers despite early blow
India suffered an early blow in the form of Sanju Samson, who was knocked over by Matt Henry on the very first ball. However, Abhishek and Ishan Kishan had other plans. They took the score past 50 in just 3.1 overs, the quickest team half-century for India in T20Is. Although Ishan's stay (28) was ended by Ish Sodhi, India were 94/2 by six overs.
Information
India's second-highest Powerplay total in T20Is
According to Cricbuzz, 94/2 is now India's second-highest Powerplay total in T20I cricket. This is only behind 95/1 versus England from the 2025 Mumbai T20I. India have no other 90-plus score in this phase in the format.
Record
Abhishek slams second-fastest T20I fifty for India
Abhishek brought up his half-century with a maximum off Jacob Duffy on the sixth over's final ball. His 14-ball half-century is now the second-fastest for India in T20Is, only behind Yuvraj Singh's 12-ball effort. Overall, Abhishek now has the joint third-fastest T20I fifty against a Full Member side, with Colin Munro. While Yuvraj tops the list, Jan Frylinck is behind him (13 balls).
Scores
Abhishek, SKY get India home in 10 overs
After tormenting NZ, Abhishek let his captain, Suryakumar, add the finishing touch. The former hammered 7 fours and 5 sixes in his 20-ball 68*. Suryakumar was batting on 42 in the ninth over as India required 15 more runs. He smashed a six and 2 fours in the next over to get India home. The Indian skipper returned unbeaten on 57 (26).
Numbers
Notable numbers for SKY
According to Cricbuzz, Suryakumar has now completed his half-century in 25 or fewer balls as many as 10 times, the most in T20Is. Suryakumar, who was struggling to get a start before the ongoing series, now has half-centuries in his last two T20Is. He has raced to 2,959 runs from 102 T20Is at a strike rate of 165.03. This was his 23rd T20I fifty.
NZ innings
NZ batters kept at bay
New Zealand earlier had another top-order failure after they were invited to bat. They were 34/3 in the Powerplay, with Harshit Rana once again outfoxing Devon Conway. While Glenn Phillips tried to up the ante, Ravi Bishnoi's accurate bowling kept him at bay. The dismissals of Phillips and Mark Chapman left NZ reeling at 112/6. Bumrah showed his death-over prowess as NZ managed 153/9.
Spell
Bumrah stars with 3/17
Bumrah bowled just one over in the Powerplay as Harshit Rana and Hardik Pandya started the proceedings. The first wicket of his spell produced Tim Seifert's wicket (12). The Kiwi batter was knocked over with a ripper. Bumrah later returned to dismiss Kyle Jamieson (3) and Mitchell Santner (27). The Indian seamer conceded just 17 runs in his four overs.
Wickets
Bumrah races to 106 wickets
Bumrah, who returned after being rested, has raced to 106 wickets. He is one of only three Indians to have taken more than 100 wickets in the format, with Arshdeep Singh (111) and Hardik Pandya (105). In 85 T20Is, Bumrah has an incredible average of 18.09. Interestingly, the Indian seamer is yet to record over three wickets in a T20I innings.
Information
Fourth Indian with this landmark
According to ESPNcricinfo, Bumrah became the fourth Indian with 35-plus wickets in home T20Is. He joined Yuzvendra Chahal (49), Axar Patel (43), and Hardik Pandya (38). Across 34 home T20Is, Bumrah owns 35 wickets at 22.05 (BBI: 3/14).
Bowling
What about other Indian bowlers?
While Bumrah was the pick of India's bowlers, Hardik Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi also took two wickets each. Bishnoi, who conceded 18 runs in four overs, played his first international in nearly a year. He conceded a solitary boundary throughout the match. According to Cricbuzz, for the first time in 11 T20I innings, Kuldeep Yadav didn't take a wicket.
Numbers
A look at other numbers
India won with 60 balls to spare, the most against a Full Member team chasing 150-plus targets, according to Cricbuzz. India have 10 successive T20I series wins at home, the most for a side (FM teams). Overall, India won their 11th consecutive T20I series, the joint-most with Pakistan (2016-2018). Samson became the fourth Indian to fall on the first ball of a T20I innings.