Rohit Sharma, who had struggled in the first two matches, stood up and delivered in the third T20I between India and New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday. After scoring a blistering 65, he went on to hit 15 off four balls in the deciding Super Over as India chased down the 18-run target. This was the first time India played a Super Over and man-of-the-match Rohit said that he did not know what to expect when he went out to bat with KL Rahul.
"Never batted in a Super Over before. I didn't know what to expect, whether to go from the first ball or just take a single, try and put pressure on the last three or four balls of the over," he said after the match.
The latter turned out to be the winning formula for India, as they only managed one boundary in the first four balls.
But, with 10 runs needed off the last two deliveries, Rohit Sharma lived up to his billing as a six-hitting monster, sending Tim Southee flying over long-on and long-off to seal India's first ever T20I series win in New Zealand, as well as a successful first Super Over experience.
But it wasn't just the Super Over where Rohit shone. The opener gave India a blistering start, and with Virat Kohli's 27-ball 38 being India's next best individual performance with the bat, Rohit's 65 off 40 deliveries was even more crucial as India posted a competitive 179.
"The pitch was good and I was trying to stay still, see what I could do. Good performance with the bat, little disappointed at having thrown my wicket away though, should have carried on for a while," Rohit said about his knock.
"I wanted to bat normally, I hadn't got runs in the first two games, wanted to do well today. We knew we would win the series today if we win the match - in important games, the important players need to step up and get counted."
Kane Williamson, with a 48-ball 95, almost won it for New Zealand, but Mohammed Shami dismissed him in the final over, with the home side needing just two runs off three balls at that stage.
Shami kept his nerve and allowed New Zealand to just get one run off a bye and force the Super Over.
Crediting the pacer and complimenting the New Zealand skipper, Rohit Sharma tweeted after the match: "Seriously, what a game! @MdShami11's over won us the game. Valiant effort from Williamson though."