XtraTime Web Desk: Indian cricket team’s star opener Rohit Sharma just destroyed New Zealand pacer Hamish Bennett in the sixth over of the first innings in the third T20I in Hamilton. He hammered Bennett for three huge sixes & two boundaries in that over.
Rohit was dismissed in the first two T20Is on just 7 & 8 runs respectively, but here the hitman showed his true class.
In the sixth over, his opening partner KL Rahul took a single off the first then, then the Mumbaiker took over in fascinating style. Batting at 24 off 18 balls, Rohit swiveled the second ball for the first six, over backward square leg.
He played a lofted drive to make in two in two. It was followed by back-to-back fours — first, by playing over the backward point, then with a deft touch to beat the fielder behind square. He finished the over with a third six, over the bowler’s head.
And he reached the fifty in 23 balls. This was his joint-second fastest T20I fifty. His fastest came off 22 balls, against the West Indies at Lauderhill in 2016.
He also became the second-fastest opener to reach 10,000 international runs, breaching the mark in just 219 innings. He already holds the record for the most T20I sixes.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to field first.
Indian cricket team are favourites to win their first-ever T20I series win in New Zealand as they have already won the first two matches of the five-match T20I series.