Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 31 (IANS) Ishan Kishan smashed a breath-taking 42-ball century while captain Suryakumar Yadav struck a fine 63 as India piled up a commanding 271/5 against New Zealand in the fifth T20I at the Greenfield International Stadium on Saturday.

India’s innings featured 23 sixes, the joint most they have hit in a T20I game, with Kishan leading the assault after the early dismissals of Abhishek Sharma and local lad Sanju Samson inside powerplay. He and Suryakumar combined for a 137-run stand that dismantled New Zealand’s bowling attack and shifted momentum firmly in the hosts favour.

Though Suryakumar fell to Mitchell Santner after reaching his half-century, Kishan continued his onslaught to bring up a scintillating first T20I hundred before departing for 103 off 43 balls, laced with six fours and ten sixes at a strike-rate of 239.53. Hardik Pandya added late fireworks with a brisk cameo of 42 off 17 balls to push India past the 270 mark, and get their third-highest score in the format.

Electing to bat first, India got off to a brisk start with Abhishek Sharma timing the ball sweetly in the opening overs and striking boundaries off Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson to race to 24 off just nine balls. But Samson’s lean run continued as he fell for just six, edging Lockie Ferguson to deep third man, leaving the home crowd stunned in silence.

Abhishek looked dangerous but was undone by Ferguson’s pace and was castled for 30 off 16 deliveries. At 48/2 in the fifth over, India needed a push, and Kishan provided just that with a counter-attacking approach. He and Suryakumar then took charge, before going for the kill. The duo dismantled Santner in the 10th over with a flurry of boundaries and sixes yielding 20 runs.

Kishan, who relentlessly peppered the leg-side with his boundaries, reached his fifty off 28 balls by punishing Ish Sodhi with a sequence of three fours and two sixes in a 29-run over. Suryakumar brought up his third fifty of the series in 27 balls while striking three sixes off Jacob Duffy in the 14th over.

Santner eventually broke the stand by having Suryakumar stumped for 63 off 30 balls. Kishan, however, continued his assault, smashing Santner for successive sixes off different lengths to reach his maiden T20I hundred in just 42 balls and was greeted by a leaping Hardik, before being finally dismissed for 103 off 43 deliveries, caught at square leg off Duffy.

Hardik applied the finishing touches with a fiery 42 off 17 balls, laced with a four and three sixes, while Shivam Dube struck the final six of the innings off the last ball, as 21 runs came off the final over in a relentless batting display for India, where Kishan may have sealed his spot in the Men’s T20 World Cup playing eleven for next week’s opening game against USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Brief Scores: India 271/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 103, Suryakumar Yadav 63; Lockie Ferguson 2-41, Jacob Duffy 1-53) against New Zealand

–IANS

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