GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Opener Abhishek Sharma hit a whirlwind 68 not out off 20 balls as India beat New Zealand with ease, winning the third Twenty20 match by eight wickets on Sunday with 10 overs to spare.
India took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
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India's captain Suryakumar Yadav reacts as he celebrates after scoring fifty runs during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's captain Mitchell Santner during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Jasprit Bumrah, second left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of New Zealand's Tim Seifert during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
New Zealand's Glenn Phillips plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
New Zealand's Matt Henry, left, run out by India's Jasprit Bumrah during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav, right, greets India's Abhishek Sharma as he scores fifty run during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Abhishek Sharma plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Sharma reached his 50 off only 14 deliveries, including four sixes, and put on 102 off 40 balls with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (57 not out off 26) as India reached 155-2 in 10 overs in reply to New Zealand's 153-9 in 20 overs.
Sharma's innings was India’s second fastest fifty in men's T20s.
“This is what my team wants from me – I want to execute it all the time,” Sharma said. “It is not easy to do it, but I keep trying.”
Jasprit Bumrah returned for India and took 3-17 in four overs as New Zealand was restricted to a sub-par score.
Glenn Phillips top-scored for the Black Caps with 48 off 40 and Mark Chapman was out for 32.
India won the first T20 in Nagpur by 48 runs, and the second T20 in Raipur by seven wickets.
The fourth T20 is at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Chasing 154, India started badly by losing Sanju Samson for a golden duck to Matt Henry.
But Sharma hit five sixes and seven fours overall to put New Zealand’s bowling to the sword.
Ishan Kishan hit 28 off 13 deliveries as the pair added 53 off only 19 balls for the second wicket. Kishan then holed out off Ish Sodhi, yet it didn’t end New Zealand’s misery.
India set a hectic pace scoring 100 in only 6.3 overs. Yadav got his second consecutive half-century – off 25 balls. He finished with three sixes and six fours overall.
New Zealand was put into bat but failed to make a good start. Bumrah bowled Tim Seifert for 12 after Harshit Rana dismissed Devon Conway for one.
Hardik Pandya (2-23) made it 34-3 in 5.1 overs with Rachin Ravindra's dismissal for four.
New Zealand never really recovered from those early blows despite a 52-run partnership between Phillips and Chapman, who both fell to wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2-18).
Bumrah then returned for another spell and got two more wickets.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav reacts as he celebrates after scoring fifty runs during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's captain Mitchell Santner during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Jasprit Bumrah, second left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of New Zealand's Tim Seifert during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
New Zealand's Glenn Phillips plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
New Zealand's Matt Henry, left, run out by India's Jasprit Bumrah during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav, right, greets India's Abhishek Sharma as he scores fifty run during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
India's Abhishek Sharma plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between India and New Zealand in Guwahati, India, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
