Sunil Gavaskar All Praise For India After New Zealand Thrashing In 3rd T20I

India had sealed the T20I series with a dominant win in Guwahati and earned strong praise from Sunil Gavaskar.

India continued their dominant run in T20I cricket as they thrashed New Zealand in the third T20I at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, January 25. Chasing a modest target of 154, the Men in Blue wrapped up the contest in just 10 overs to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, with two matches still to be played.

Openers Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav led the charge with blistering half-centuries, as India completed the chase with eight wickets in hand. The emphatic victory underlined India’s growing dominance in the shortest format.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on the team, calling them the side to beat in T20I cricket. He highlighted India’s all-round strength and said rival teams would find it difficult to counter such a well-rounded unit.

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“Look at everything, not just the batting. Their bowling, their catching, their outfielding — they were a champion side. What do we do against this side? How do we stop this side? This is a side to beat. This is a side that will take some beating,” Gavaskar said during the post-match show on JioHotstar.

Gavaskar Praises Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma brought up his half-century in just 14 balls, narrowly missing the world record for the fastest T20I fifty, which is held by his mentor Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj had smashed a 12-ball fifty against England during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Gavaskar believes Abhishek has the ability to break that record in the future.

“Getting to a fifty that quickly is very tough. But what Abhishek has been showing over the last many matches is that he’s capable of doing that. One time he’s done it in 14 deliveries, another time in 16, so he’s getting there. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll go past it. And if that happens, the happiest person will be Yuvraj,” Gavaskar said.

The fourth T20I will be played at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, January 28. With the series already in the bag, India will look to extend their winning momentum, while New Zealand will be playing for pride in the remaining matches.