IND vs NZ: There’s real thought behind his batting approach, says Chapman on Abhishek’s six-hitting prowess

New Zealand batter Mark Chapman feels Abhishek Sharma’s stunning six-hitting prowess is not mere mindless aggression but a product of sharp game awareness and planning, saying the visitor will look to pick up a few cues from the dynamic Indian opener ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup.

The world No. 1 T20I batter continued his blazing form with a 20-ball 68 not out, including a 14-ball fifty with five sixes, as India chased down a 154-run target in just 10 overs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Throughout the series, the Kiwis have found themselves at the receiving end of Abhishek’s relentless assault.

In the opener, he had smashed eight sixes in a 35-ball 84 as India piled up 238 for seven before sealing a comfortable win. “To be honest, their batting has been dynamic and explosive,” Chapman said in the post-match media interaction.

“I haven’t seen much of him play in person. But his six-hitting ability is second to none. Just the way he goes about it, he seems like he’s really putting some thought into his batting.

“Obviously he’s playing some really good cricket at the moment. That’s just the nature of T20 cricket. When someone’s playing really well, they can be hard to stop at times.

“There’s a lot for us to look at and review. In all three facets, we can definitely improve,” Chapman said.

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Despite losing the series, Chapman felt facing India was an ideal preparation ahead of the global showpiece, with New Zealand keen to fine-tune its game before opening its World Cup campaign against Afghanistan in Chennai on February 8.

“We’re going to have to look at getting some bigger scores. The surfaces have been really good, but we’re well aware that not every surface in India is an absolute belter. There will be times when the ball turns, so we’ve got to be ready for everything.

“From our point of view, there’s no better preparation for a World Cup than facing one of the best T20 teams in the world. It’s great to see the way they’re going about their business, so hopefully we can learn one or two things from them.”

Despite losing the series, Chapman felt facing India was an ideal preparation ahead of the global showpiece.
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AFP

New Zealand’s power play returns, in contrast to India’s explosive starts, have also hurt them in the series. “It’s disappointing today not to get as many, but having said that, we’ve got batters throughout the order who are capable of clearing the ropes.

“Yeah, obviously it’s not ideal losing a couple of early wickets in the power play. But you also have to give credit where it’s due. I thought the Indians bowled really well. They tied us down and we just weren’t able to get the ball away, unfortunately.

“Obviously, it’s disappointing to be out of the series already. India has played some really, really good cricket. There are some things that we can tidy up on our end, and, from our point of view, it’s about reviewing.

“We’ve got one eye on the World Cup as well. We’ve got two more games here. For us, it’s about fine-tuning things and getting better each game to put us in good stead for that first game against Afghanistan,” he concluded.

Published on Jan 26, 2026