The India vs. New Zealand 2026 series’ third Twenty20 International is now officially recorded in history. In the five-match T20I series, India crushed the Blackcaps to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
At the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and decided to field first. The Kiwis were held to 153/9 in their 20 overs by the outstanding work of the Indian spinners.
The Men in Blue lost Sanju Samson on the opening delivery while chasing 154, but Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav mounted an all-out assault on the New Zealand bowlers, raising the team’s total to 155/2 in just 10 overs.
In T20I cricket, spectators at the ACA Stadium saw an unforgettable run chase. The top five records and achievements from this game are listed below.
1. Abhishek Sharma surpassed the all-time record of Hardik Pandya
All-rounder Hardik Pandya, had even few weeks ago batted at a strike rate of 325 with the second fastest fifty by an Indian on home soil in T20Is when he raced to a 16-ball half-century against South Africa. Abhishek Sharma set a new record (14-ball) with his fifty against New Zealand in Guwahati, bettering Hardik’s rain-curtailed 16 ball fifty.
In general, Indian holds the record of fastest T20I fifty as well which is held by Yuvraj Singh. The ex-Indian all-rounder slogged a 12-ball 50 against England in Durban back in 2007.
2. Abhishek Sharma shatters his own record
Team India player Abhishek Sharma had established a record for the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian opener last year when he reached his half-century in 17 balls against England at the Wankhede Stadium.
Sharma has improved his own record this year by reaching 50 in only 14 balls. Now, it feels unlikely that any other Indian opener will be capable of smashing Sharma’s new record anytime soon.
3. Suryakumar Yadav surpasses Virat Kohli on exclusive list
Team India Captain Suryakumar Yadav took over as full-time T20I captain after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Captain Virat Kohli, once again, has emerged as a brilliant captain for Indian team with 33 wins out of only 39 matches.
With the victory over New Zealand in Guwahati, Yadav has gone past captain Virat Kohli (32 wins) on the list of most successful Indian captains in T20s. Yadav is now third in the all-time list behind MS Dhoni (42 wins) and Rohit Sharma (50 wins).
4. Fastest 150-plus chase by a Test-playing nation in T20I cricket
The Men in Blue comfortably chased down the 154-run target in just 10 overs at the ACA Stadium. This is the fastest chase now of a 150-plus target in a match against a Test-playing nation.
The record for the fastest 150+ chase overall (including non Test-playing nations) is also held by Australia. The Australian team reached a 154-run target in just 9.4 overs against Scotland (an associate nation) in the two nations’ bilateral match.
5. Abhishek Sharma smashes Rohit Sharma’s record
With this effort, Abhishek Sharma crossed the 50-run mark in T20Is during the powerplay for the third time. As a result, he now holds the record for the most half-centuries by a Men in Blue batter inside the first six overs of an innings.
Before the third game against New Zealand, Abhishek shared the record with Rohit Sharma, who made two 50s in the powerplay. But now, the record is owned by Abhishek and he holds all rights of it.
