New Zealand vs India 2020 | 3rd T20, Hamilton: 3 observations from the match as the Men in Blue win another series

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Rohit Sharma, you beauty!

New Zealand hosted India for the 3rd T20 at Seddon Park in Hamilton in a match that could have decided the series. On a good batting wicket, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl first.

India started their innings really well as Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul stitched together an 89-run opening partnership in just 9 overs, before Rahul and Sharma, and Shivam Dube lost their wickets in quick succession. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer then had to steady the ship, before Ravindra Jadeja and Manish Pandey propelled India to 179 for the loss of 5 wickets.

Chasing a good total, the hosts started really well, scoring 51 from the first 6 overs, losing just one wicket. After New Zealand lost a set Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson stepped up and took the hosts as close as possible, before getting out for 95 from 48 balls. The Kiwis needed just 2 from 3 balls and yet, quite miraculously, the hosts found a way to draw the game and take us into the super over.

In the same, Jasprit Bumrah was taken to the cleaners as New Zealand scored 17 from their Super Over. India though, chased it down, thanks to some clean hitting from Sharma, which means that India have now won the five-match series 3-0.

Here are the three observations from the game.

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#3 New Zealand's were the architects of their own downfall

Ross Taylor would have been disappointed with himself

This simply has to be said. New Zealand had two separate occasions in the game when they were on top but somehow, they let India back into the game. Firstly, the last over, when only 3 runs were required from 5 balls and Ross Taylor and Tim Seifert somehow managed to take the game into Super Over, when all they needed to do was get two singles.

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Then in the super over itself when Tim Southee had to defend 10 runs from 2 balls and he dished out two balls in the slot for an in-form Rohit Sharma to smash them into the crowd. The match should have been won by New Zealand way before we went into the Super Over and that didn't happen, so the Kiwis have only themselves to blame.

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#2 Jasprit Bumrah's off day and Kane Williamson's brilliance

Kane Williamson played his best T20 innings

Jasprit Bumrah had an off day on Wednesday and it was quite clear that he wasn't feeling up to it. He wasn't nailing his yorkers or slower balls, which meant he went for 45 runs from his 4 overs and 17 runs in the super over.

One of the biggest reasons why he had an off colour day was the way Kane Williamson treated him. The Kiwi skipper didn't let him settle and he punished all the bad balls; he took New Zealand so close to a brilliant win but somehow, his teammates managed to let him down. We saw two of the best in the world collide on Wednesday and it is fair to say, Williamson came on top.

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#1 Rohit Sharma - The Match Winner

Rohit Sharma was on top of his game

Is there anyone else in world cricket who wins his team more matches than Rohit Sharma does?

The Indian vice-captain missed out in the first two matches, but he made up for it by playing two separate match-winning innings on the day. First, he slammed 65 from 40 balls, which included six fours and three sixes, then, he won the visitors the Super Over, scoring two consecutive sixes from Tim Southee's final two balls.

His consistency over the past couple of years has been incredible and he is right up there with Virat Kohli when it comes to the best players in the world at the moment. He showed on today what he can do and why he is considered one of the very best in this format.

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