Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 45 and Abhishek Sharma's 113 help India smash T20I world records against New Zealand

What an extraordinary display of batting from Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi!

India sprung a surprise by promoting 15 year old Sooryavanshi to open alongside Abhishek in the third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington on Tuesday.

And what a decision that turned out to be!

The two left handers completely dismantled the New Zealand bowling attack, rewriting multiple records as India chased down 199 in just 13.2 overs to seal the five match series with two games remaining.

India won by six wickets, with an astonishing 40 balls to spare.

India smash 26 runs in first over

The carnage began right from the opening over as Jacob Duffy came under immediate pressure.

Sooryavanshi announced his arrival with a boundary off the first delivery before smashing a six later in the over.

Abhishek then joined the party with a six of his own as India collected 26 runs from the opening over.

According to cricinfo, it was the highest first over total by a Full Member team in men's T20I cricket.

But the Indian openers were only getting started.

India break records for fastest team 50 and 100

India raced to 50 in just 2.2 overs, breaking their previous record of 2.5 overs against the West Indies in Bengaluru earlier this month.

And they were not done yet!

The team hundred came up in just 4.5 overs, making it India's fastest team 100 in T20I cricket.

Their previous best was 5.6 overs against Afghanistan in Delhi in September.

Just imagine that. India had already crossed the 100 run mark before the fifth over was completed!

India recorded the second fastest team 100 in men's T20I history, among matches with ball by ball data available. The record belongs to Eswatini, who reached 100 in just 4.5 overs against Mozambique earlier this year.

By the end of the powerplay, India had reached an astonishing 118 without loss.

It was the highest powerplay total in men's T20I history, surpassing Romania's 116 against Serbia in 2021.

And all this came from a new opening combination featuring a 15 year old teenager and one of the most destructive batters in world cricket.

Abhishek smashes 113 off 38 balls

While Sooryavanshi played his part with a brilliant 45 off 19 balls, including four fours and four sixes, Abhishek took his batting to another level.

The 26 year old reached his fifty in just 15 deliveries before bringing up his fourth T20I century off only 35 balls.

He reached the milestone with a top edged pull off Kyle Jamieson before smashing the next two deliveries for consecutive sixes.

Abhishek eventually departed for a breathtaking 113 off just 38 balls, an innings featuring nine fours and 11 sixes.

That is 102 runs in boundaries alone!

His strike rate was an extraordinary 297.36.

It was also his fourth T20I century, taking him within one of Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell, who have five each.

India seal series in style

The opening pair added 133 runs in just seven overs before Sooryavanshi was dismissed by Matthew Fisher.

Abhishek continued the assault before falling to Jamieson with India already cruising towards victory.

Sanju Samson contributed 18 off 13 balls, while captain Shreyas Iyer managed just five.

But the damage had already been done.

Naman Dhir finished the chase with a boundary as India reached 199 for four in just 13.2 overs.

For New Zealand, who had posted 198 for three thanks largely to Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten 89, there was simply no answer to India's extraordinary batting display.