Last Updated on 12 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey

New Zealand suffered a heavy defeat in the third T20I against India who chased down 199 with 40 balls to spare in Wellington. The result gave India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series as the hosts struggled to contain the aggressive opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

India raced to 118 without loss by the end of the powerplay, and the match was as good as done. Abhishek was particularly brutal, reaching his fifty in 15 balls and then hitting a century in just 35 balls. Sooryavanshi too, scored a brisk 45 before he was sent packing by Matthew Fisher. Kyle Jamieson later removed Abhishek for 113 but India needed just 13.2 overs to complete the chase.

Finn Allen heaps praise on Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Finn Allen felt New Zealand had done enough with the bat to give themselves a shot, but India’s start to the chase quickly changed the contest. He admitted that the conditions improved for batting as the innings went on, but mentioned that Abhishek in that mood is very difficult to stop.

“You have a quick look at a game like that and take what you can from it and move on. I thought we put up what we thought was a competitive total with the bat but conditions tend to get a little bit easier as the game goes on,” Allen said, as quoted by ANI.

“Once a guy like Abhishek Sharma gets going, he is pretty hard to stop. It was just one of those things and we have to move on to the next game.”

The New Zealand batter did not blame any particular department after the loss. He said the whole team was disappointed though, highlighting the quality shown by both the Indian batters in the chase.

“As a group it is always frustrating when things don’t go your way. “I wouldn’t say the batters or the bowlers are more frustrated than the other guys. When players like Abhishek and Vaibhav get going, they are tough for any opposition to contain. They showed exactly why they are such good players,” he added.

Despite India taking a 3-0 lead, Allen felt the gap between the sides had been much closer over the first two games, with New Zealand feeling they had chances to win both matches.

“I think the first two games were pretty tight, especially, and we felt like we could have won both of those. Whatever the outcome, playing for your country is always a great experience and it is very important for all of us,” he said.

“Coming back to New Zealand and playing here for the first time in a while has been fantastic and with the crowds and the atmosphere.”

Although the series was lost, Allen viewed the campaign as part of New Zealand’s long term preparation. “We want to take learning from the matches as we prepare for the next T20 World Cup in 2028,” he said.