Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 25 (ANI): A brutal display of batting performance by opener Abhishek Sharma, captain Suryakumar Yadav and left-handed batter Ishan Kishan helped Team India to chase down the 154-run target in just 10 overs against New Zealand in the third T20I at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

With this victory, the Men in Blue took an unbeaten 3-0 lead in the ongoing five-match T20I series.

Chasing 154, India were off to a horrible start after they lost opener Sanju Samson for a golden duck. The right-handed batter was dismissed on the very first delivery by speedster Matt Henry.

However, the wicket celebration was cut off instantly as left-handed batter Ishan Kishan, who came next, hammered two sixes and a boundary to end Henry's over.

In the next over, the duo of Kishan and Abhishek Sharma combined to smash 16 runs against Jacob Duffy as India reached 32/1.

In the third over, Kyle Jamieson conceded 17 runs as India were off to a blistering start, making 49/1.

India also reached their quickest team fifty in just 3.1 overs, surpassing their previous record of 3.4 overs vs Bangladesh in Hangzhou in 2023.

During the second ball of the fourth over, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi dismissed dangerous Kishan for 28 off 13 balls, with three fours and two sixes.

Abhishek Sharma completed his half-century in just 14 deliveries, which is also the second-fastest for India after former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who smashed a 12-ball fifty against England during the ICC T20 World Cup 2007. Abhishek's 14-ball fifty was also the joint-third fastest among full member nations in T20I cricket

After the end of the sixth over, India slammed 94/2. This was also the highest powerplay total against New Zealand, surpassing Australia's 91/0 in Auckland in 2018.

India also registered their second-fastest powerplay score after 95/1 vs England in Mumbai last year. After the end of the ninth over, India reached 139/2.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav hammered his 25th half-century in just 25 deliveries during the fifth ball of the 10th over. Team India chased down the 154-run target in just 10 overs and took an unbeaten 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav remained unbeaten on 57 off 26 deliveries, with six fours and three sixes. Opener Abhishek Sharma hammered 68* off 20 balls, with seven boundaries and five towering sixes, in India's one-sided victory.

After opting to field first, Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi restricted New Zealand to 153/9 in 20 overs.

The trio of Bumrah, Pandya and Bishnoi shared seven wickets among them, with Bumrah scalping three.

Harshit Rana gave New Zealand an early blow after he removed Devon Conway for just 1 in the first over of the innings. In the following star all-rounder Hardik Pandya removed Rachin Ravindra for four, pushing the visitors on the back foot.

Glenn Phillips and Tim Seifert showed some resilience before India's star seamer Jasprit Bumrah cleaned up Seifert for 12 in the last over of the power-play, leaving kiwi's three down inside the field restrictions.

Mark Chapman and Phillips took the Kiwis' innings forward, with both batters rotating the strike at regular intervals. After 10 overs, New Zealand reached 75/3 with Phillips (30) and Chapman (28) unbeaten on the crease.

Ravi Bishnoi, in the 12th over, broke the 52-run stand for the fourth wicket as he removed Chapman for 32 runs off 23 balls, and Daryl Mitchell joined Phillips in the middle.

Mitchell tried to lift the scoring as he smashed his second ball of the innings for a six off Harshit Rana in the 13th over, but didn't get going as he was removed by Pandya in the 15th over for just 14.

Phillips, in the following over, was also sent back to the pavilion by Bishnoi as he scalped his second wicket of the match.

Phillips fell two short of a well-deserved half-century. Bishnoi finished his spell with impressive figures of 2/18 in four overs.

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner showed some fight as he slammed a four off Bishnoi and two off Rana in the following over. After a tight opening spell with the new ball, Bumrah cleaned up Kyle Jamieson in his second spell to move his wicket tally to two in the match in the 18th over.

Santner played a vital hand of 27 runs off 17 balls before he was removed by Bumrah in the final over of the innings. Jacob Duffy and Ish Sodhi added nine runs in the final over, which helped Kiwi's to reach 153/9 in 20 overs.

Brief score: New Zealand 153/9 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 48, Mark Chapman 32; Jasprit Bumrah 3/17) Vs India India 155/2 in 10 overs (Abhishek Sharma 68*, Suryakumar Yadav 57*) (ANI)