Kolkata, (Samajweekly) India produced a clinical all-round performance to thrash New Zealand by 73 runs in the third and final T20I and complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the three-match series at the iconic Eden Gardens, here on Sunday.
A fantastic fifty by captain Rohit Sharma (56 off 31 balls) and some late charge by the lower-order powered India to a competitive 184/7 in 20 overs.
Apart from Rohit, Ishan Kishan (29), Venkatesh Iyer (20) and Shreyas Iyer (25) also got good starts but they failed to capitalise. Mitchell Santner (3/27) was the highest wicket-taker for the Kiwis.
In reply, Martin Guptill’s fifty (51 off 36 balls) went in vain as New Zealand were bowled out for 111 in 17.2 overs, losing by 73 runs.
Tim Seifert (17) and Lockie Ferguson (14) also chipped in with the bat for the Kiwis but it wasn’t enough to save them from a huge loss. Axar Patel (3/9) was the most successful bowler for India.
Brief scores:
India 184/7 in 20 Overs (Rohit Sharma 56, Ishan Kishan 29; Mitchell Santner 3-27) beat New Zealand 111 all out in 17.2 overs (Martin Guptill 51, Tim Seifert 17, Axar Patel (3-9) by 73 runs.