Glorious Gill leads India to record victory against New Zealand

Shubman Gill’s glorious vein of form continued into February as India steamrolled New Zealand in the third and final T20I in Ahmedabad to clinch a 2-1 series victory. The opener smashed an unbelievable unbeaten 126* off 63 deliveries to power India to 234 for 4 in the first innings before the hosts demolished the Kiwis in the run-chase, bowling out New Zealand for 66 to register a mighty 168-run win.

It was a chastening experience for New Zealand on Wednesday night in Ahmedabad. The Blackcaps had some early joy with the wicket of Ishan Kishan in the second over, but things only went downhill after that. Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi dominated the powerplay, setting the Men in Blue up for a mammoth total in pristine batting conditions. Gill showcased his delightful timing to cream the Kiwi pacers all across the ground, while Tripathi played some unorthodox strokes to take India to 58 for one in six overs.

The pair added 80 runs in just 48 balls before Tripathi fell for 44, but Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya continued the momentum in the middle alongside Shubman Gill, who batted through the innings to make the highest score by an Indian in T20Is. Gill reached his maiden T20I half-century in 35 deliveries and exploded at the death overs to race to his three-figure mark. Gill tore into the Kiwi pacers, Ben Lister and Blair Tickner, taking just 19 balls to score his next 50 runs. The opener reached his fourth century of the calendar year with a lofted cover drive against Lockie Ferguson and finished with 126 in just 63 balls, becoming the second youngest player in history to score an international century in all three formats.

Gill and Hardik Pandya’s 103-run stand took India to a daunting total of 234 for four, and New Zealand wilted in response in the run chase. Suryakumar Yadav took a blinder at first slip off Hardik Pandya’s bowling to send back Finn Allen and Arsheep Singh dismissed Devon Conway and Mark Chapman in the second over to leave the Blackcaps reeling at 5 for 3.

The Yadav-Pandya combination worked again to remove Glenn Phillips, while Umran Malik cleaned up Michael Bracewell, with New Zealand finishing the powerplay at 30 for five. Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner showed some brief fightback in the middle to rescue New Zealand, but the final five Kiwi wickets fell for just 13 runs as Indian pacers ran riot, giving the hosts their largest victory in T20Is.