Indian cricket marches on in all three formats; in Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).
India created a record by thrashing New Zealand by 168 runs at Ahmedabad on 1 February, which is a record in a T20 International involving full member teams.
This was the third and final T20 match in the series at Ahmedabad; NZ winning the first by 21 runs at Ranchi and India levelling the series by defeating the Kiwis by 6 wickets at Lucknow.
Now to the record breaking victory for India at Ahmedabad.
India’s in-form super bat Shubman Gill hit a spectacular and unbeaten 126 enriched with 12 fours and seven sixes. India had started poorly, losing opener Ishan Kishan for one, LBW to Michael Bracewell, with the score at 1 for 7.
Then came Rahul Tripathi (44 runs) and India was back in the game. He flourished, belting four fours and three sixes and India totalled 4 for 234 in 20 overs, a heartening run-rate of 11.70
A technically correct middle-order batter, Tripathi came to the game in the footsteps of his father, an army man, who in his time turned out for Uttar Pradesh in junior cricket and also played at University level. After his father was transferred to Pune in the course of his service, Tripathi played at Deccan Gymkhana, one of the oldest clubs in the city. He stared domestic cricket with Maharashtra a decade ago. In the two seasons starting 2014-15, he scored 1000 runs for them averaging 40 from 17 matches. He was the side’s top scorer in the Ranji Trophy in 2018-19, making 504 runs.
Back to the Ahmedabad T20I. Both Shubman Gill and Tripathi had super Strike Rates of 200.00 each as they added 80 runs for the second wicket off only seven overs. India scored 4 for 234.
The touring Kiwis were dismissed for a pathetic 66 (skipper Hardik Pandya capturing 4 for 16). The top scorer was middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell with 35 runs, hitting a four and three sixes. But the rest perished and India won the match by a huge margin of 168 runs and the series 2-1. Medium pacer Arshdeep Singh and fast bowler Umran Malik took two wickets each.
Shubman Gill was adjudged Person of the Match and Hardik Pandya the Person of the Series.
This India New Zealand T20 result will be a big worry for Pat Cummins’ touring Australians who will take on full strength India next week –with Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Shiraj, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant … returning.