Twitter Reactions: India decimate listless New Zealand to another series victory after Shubman Gill's record breaking ton

India thumped New Zealand by a whopping 168 runs to claim the series in front of a jam-packed crowd in Ahmedabad.

By Chaitanya Prakash

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Shubman Gill
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Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: BCCI)

India's stranglehold in bilateral series continued after they annihilated the visiting Kiwi side in the third and final T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to clinch the series 2-1. It was a no-show from the Kiwi batters after India posted a mammoth total of 234 runs, thanks to Shubman Gill's record-breaking unbeaten 126 off just 63 deliveries in the first innings. 

Chasing a record total, Mitchell Santner's New Zealand got off to the worst possible start, losing Finn Allen to a spectacular catch in the very first over of the chase. His opening partner Devon Conway did not last much longer either, departing on the very first delivery of the next over. It was chaos in the middle as Arshdeep Singh struck for the second time in the same over, dismissing Mark Chapman for a duck with an absolute corker.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors as the explosive Glenn Phillips departed in the third over to leave the Kiwis reeling at 7/4. Michael Bracewell, who had a terrific ODI series, departed in Umran Malik's first over after an ugly hoick against the Indian tearaway pacer in the fifth over.

New Zealand fought back with a couple of decent overs, but the Indian bowlers were relentless and dashed all hopes of an unlikely comeback after Shivam Mavi's double-wicket first over. The mercurial Indian skipper Hardik Pandya was the tormentor-in-chief, returning with magnificent bowling figures of 4/16 as the Blackcaps were bundled out for a paltry 66, handing India a comfortable victory by a whopping 168 runs, their biggest in the format.

Shubman Gill steals the show with a thunderous century

Earlier in the match, Hardik Pandya decided to bat first on a pitch that was a stark contrast to the previous one in Lucknow. However, the home side lost young Indian opener Ishan Kishan for a low score as his dreadful run with the bat continued in the series decider. Despite that early wicket, the home side ensured a sizzling powerplay thanks to Rahul Tripathi and Shubman Gill.

It was Gill who put his foot on the accelerator initially, smashing Blair Tickner for three boundaries in his opening over. Tripathi took over from thereon, smashing the Kiwi bowlers to all parts of the ground, setting a solid platform for the Men in Blue. The explosive batter departed after a rollicking 44 off 22 deliveries as a full house crowd rose for the arrival of Suryakumar Yadav.

While Suryakumar was up to his usual tricks from one end, Gill was going at a brisk rate himself, registering his maiden half-century in T20Is. The no.1 T20I batter in the world departed after an explosive cameo, giving momentary respite to the New Zealand bowlers. However, it was the Gill show from thereon as the young Indian dasher turned up the heat in the latter stages of the innings.

The 23-year-old breached the three-figure mark in just 54 deliveries, becoming only the fifth Indian batter to smash a century in all three forms of the game. He did not stop with his assault on the Kiwi bowlers and finished with an unbeaten 126, the highest by an Indian in the shortest format of the game, helping India to a mammoth tally of 234 runs.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the thrashing of New Zealand in the series finale in Ahmedabad:

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India vs New Zealand 2023IndiaNew ZealandShubman GillHardik Pandya