India Sets Mammoth 272-Run Target for New Zealand in Final T20 After Explosive Batting Display

Agency. India set a massive target of 272 runs for New Zealand in the fifth and final match of the five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

After Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat first, the Indian team posted an impressive total of 271 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs.

A total of 23 sixes were hit during the Indian innings. Young batsman Ishan Kishan played a century knock of 103 runs off 43 balls. His innings included 6 fours and 10 sixes, with a strike rate of 239.53. This is Ishan Kishan's first century in T20 International career.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav also batted explosively, scoring 63 runs at a strike rate of 210 off 30 balls. He hit 4 fours and 6 sixes in his innings. In the process, Suryakumar also completed his 3,000 runs in T20 Internationals, a record for reaching 3,000 runs in the fewest balls faced.

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav shared a crucial partnership of 137 runs for the third wicket off 57 balls. Hardik Pandya also contributed to boosting the team's score with an innings of 42 runs off 17 balls. Abhishek Sharma gave a good start by scoring 30 runs off 16 balls, but Sanju Samson was dismissed for only 6 runs off 6 balls.

The match proved challenging for the New Zealand bowlers. Although Lockie Ferguson took 2 wickets, he conceded 41 runs in his 4 overs. Mitchell Santner and Jacob Duffy also proved expensive. The 271 runs scored by India is India's third-highest total in T20 Internationals. India had already clinched the series 3-1.