India National Cricket Team has been one of the most fearful side on their given day. The No.1 T20I side has been in New Zealand for the five-match T20I series and has won the series already. During the series, they etched an amazing record by hitting 400 sixes in the 2026 calendar year; this showcases their batting prowess.
The Men in Blue remained the No.1 T20I side despite some slips in recent times. They dominated the first three games of the current series and thus won all of them and marked Shreyas Iyer’s first victory in SENA countries. They lost the last game against the Kiwis, and the bowling department got a good start in the fifth match.
India creates unique record of hitting 400 sixes
In the fifth T20I match, the T20 World Cup 2026 Champions hit 400 sixes in 40 T20Is and became the first team to reach the historic milestone. This is a unique milestone. This showcases the prowess that the Indian batters have to hit sixes, as the likes of <a href="https://cricket.international/sanju-samson-abhishek-sharma-disappoint-in-5th-nz-t20i-as-vaibhav-sooryavanshi-warms-bench/” title=”Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma disappoint in 5th NZ T20I as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi warms bench”>Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan deal in sixes.
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Among the 400 sixes, 142 of those have come against New Zealand, the most against an opposition in a calendar year. Among the 142, 34 sixes have been struck by Abhishek Sharma in this calendar year against the Kiwis. 25 sixes have been struck by Ishan Kishan this year against Black Caps. This proves that the Indian top order has been destructive.
Ishan Kishan plays a fiery knock
Coming to the match, this is a dead rubber match, given the fact that Shreyas Iyer’s side has already won the series. Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Men in Blue made two changes, bringing back Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Varun Chakravarthy also got his chance for the first time in the series.
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson failed to provide India with a start, as both the openers were back in the pavilion early. But Ishan Kishan stepped up big in the final match as he and captain Shreyas Iyer stitched an amazing partnership of 93 runs off 43 deliveries and gave the side momentum. Kishan scored 61 runs off 32 balls, smacking 5 sixes and as many fours.
Shreyas also came back with a brilliant counterattacking fifty in the match. However, both batters were dismissed in the span of a few overs. After the two quick wickets, they failed to keep the momentum as the middle order failed and they kept on losing wickets. Naman Dhir’s 33 runs helped the side to post a decent total of 191/8 in 20 overs.
New Zealand had a good start
While chasing, New Zealand lost Finn Allen early, but Tim Seifert, who had a quiet series, has been firing all guns blazing after his catch was dropped by Naman Dhir.
But Varun Chakravarthy has pulled the game for the side, as he has dismissed Daryl Mitchell, and it is a crucial wicket given the partnership was building.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
