India seal T20I series vs New Zealand in Guwahati as Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav finish chase in 10 overs
India completed a dominant T20I series win over New Zealand, with Abhishek Sharma and captain Suryakumar Yadav powering a rapid chase in Guwahati after disciplined bowling restricted the visitors to 153/9.
Bowling sets the platform in Guwahati
India wrapped up the T20 International series against New Zealand with a decisive win in Guwahati on 26 January 2026, after a combined bowling and fielding effort kept the visitors to 153 for 9. On a surface that looked good for batting, India’s bowlers executed their plan tightly enough to make the target feel below par, forcing New Zealand to rebuild repeatedly rather than accelerate cleanly.
The match followed two earlier high-scoring games that had already gone India’s way, and the expectation in a full-house stadium was for another run-fest. Instead, India’s control phase came with the ball, allowing the batting unit to approach the chase aggressively without needing to manage risk deep into the innings.
Abhishek Sharma’s blitz and Suryakumar’s finish
Abhishek Sharma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav turned the chase into a sprint, overhauling the target in just 10 overs with only two wickets down. Sharma smashed an unbeaten 68 off 20 balls, while Suryakumar stayed not out on 57 from 26 balls, making sure there was no opening for New Zealand to claw back after the powerplay.
The innings also reflected Sharma’s series narrative: after a golden duck earlier, he responded with another high-impact effort to underline his ability to shift a chase’s geometry in minutes. The pair’s boundary-hitting reduced the required rate to irrelevance, and the contest became about how quickly India could finish rather than whether they would.
Early stumbles, then relentless acceleration
India did lose Sanju Samson to a first-ball duck, briefly adding pressure at the top. But the response was immediate, with Ishan Kishan and Sharma putting on rapid runs before Kishan fell attempting to clear the infield. Suryakumar’s arrival ensured the scoring rate did not dip; in fact, it climbed, as he continued to find gaps and hit over the field with trademark range.
The win capped a series in which India repeatedly seized control either by outscoring New Zealand in high totals or by squeezing with the ball and then finishing with speed. For New Zealand, the takeaway will be the need to find ways to slow India’s middle overs and to defend totals when India’s hitters can compress a 20-over chase into something closer to a 10-over pursuit.