Daryl Mitchell, who himself played out a sensational 89-run inning, was all praise for Abhishek Sharma’s sheer power hitting in New Zealand’s third consecutive loss
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Team India opener Abhishek Sharma blasted a 35-ball century vs New Zealand in 3rd T20I match in Wellington on Tuesday(Source: X)
New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell praised Abhishek Sharma for his explosive century in the third T20I against India, calling his hitting world-classMitchell said the Indian opener produced a special innings that would remain in people’s memories for a long time.
Abhishek smashed 113 runs off just 38 balls in Wellington on Tuesday, helping India beat New Zealand by six wickets and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
“A very special innings, I thinkSome of that hitting was world-class, and that’s why he is one of the best in the world at what he does,” Mitchell said after the match.
“You take your hat off and say, well playedIt was definitely his night, and I’m sure it’s one that people won’t forget for a long time,” he added.
Mitchell admitted that New Zealand had expected their total of 198 to be enough to put pressure on IndiaThe hosts had backed themselves to defend the target, considering the extra bounce they noticed while batting first and the possibility of dew affecting the chase.
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However, Abhishek and young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the game away from New Zealand during the powerplayThe pair attacked from the start and put the Indian team in a strong position before the hosts could settle into their bowling plans.
Despite losing the series, Mitchell said New Zealand still had plenty to play for in the remaining two matchesHe also pointed out that small mistakes at key moments had cost his side during the series.
“There’re probably small moments in games we look back on and wish we could have done it again, which could have seen us 2-1 up if those moments had gone our way,” he said.
Mitchell added that the team remained confident in its preparation and was looking forward to a busy international season, including the upcoming ODI and Test assignments.
What Happened In The Match?
New Zealand scored 198/3 in 20 overs after Mitchell remained unbeaten on 89 off 52 ballsFinn Allen contributed 40, while Bevon Jacobs made an unbeaten 39Arshdeep Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Axar Patel picked up one wicket each for India.
In reply, Abhishek and 15-year-old Sooryavanshi added 133 runs for the opening wicketSooryavanshi scored 45 off 19 balls, while Abhishek hit 11 sixes and nine fours in his 113India scored 118 without losing a wicket in the powerplay and reached 199/4 in just 13.2 overs to win by six wickets.
