You still can’t get 50 off 12: Yuvraj teases Abhishek after Wellington blitzkrieg
New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh hailed Abhishek Sharma’s explosive century and praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s contribution as India crushed New Zealand by six wickets in the third T20I to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Abhishek, who has flourished under Yuvraj’s mentorship, delivered another breathtaking performance at the third T20I at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday, smashing his fourth T20I century to help India chase down New Zealand’s 198/3 in just 13.2 overs. He took 14 balls to reach his fifty before reaching 113 off just 38 balls.
Yuvraj took a playful dig at his own batting abilities while congratulating the left-handed opener on his remarkable innings. “You still can’t get 50 off 12 can you @OfficialAbhi04! Looks like two left-handers batting in their backyard!” Yuvraj posted on X.
“And I can’t make 100 of 30 or 34 balls. Well played sir @OfficialAbhi04! Great innings aur apne single bhi le liye. Good stuff on the other end by #VaibhavSooryavanshi! Devastating combination! Hats off to @IamSanjuSamson, playing at no. 3 as a complete team man! Well-bowled by our bowlers to keep the score under 200! Great series win congratulations Team India,” Yuvraj wrote in another post.
His unbeaten-looking assault ended at 113 off 38 deliveries, featuring a relentless display of power-hitting that left the New Zealand bowling attack struggling for answers. The innings also marked his 11th century in T20 cricket, making him the Indian with the most hundreds in the shortest format, surpassing Virat Kohli’s tally of 10.
Abhishek now sits third on the list of players with the most T20 centuries, behind West Indies great Chris Gayle, who has 22, and Pakistan’s Babar Azam, with 13. The 25-year-old’s assault was complemented by teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 45 off just 19 balls as the pair dismantled the New Zealand attack during a record-breaking powerplay.
India raced to 118 without loss in the first six overs, registering the highest powerplay total in men’s T20 Internationals. The previous record was held by Romania, who had scored 116/0 against Serbia in 2021.
The visitors also brought up their team hundred in five overs, the second-fastest in men’s T20 cricket, behind Eswatini’s effort of 4.5 overs against Mozambique earlier this year. Their fifty came in just 2.2 overs, equalling the joint-fastest team fifty in the format, a mark previously achieved by Papua New Guinea against Vanuatu and Romania against Serbia.
–IANS
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