India captain Shreyas Iyer believes playing fearless cricket is "essential" for them after clinching a T20I series victory over New Zealand.

India defeated the Black Caps by six wickets after Abhishek Sharma's incredible 35-ball century, securing an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.

New Zealand looked to have set a competitive total of 198-3 after Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten 89 off 52 was accompanied by solid knocks from Finn Allen (40) and Bevon Jacobs (39).

However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (45) and Sharma (113) flew out of the blocks, bringing up their 100-run partnership in just five overs.

Kyle Jamieson (2-45) picked up a couple of wickets, but India got over the line with 40 balls to spare, and Iyer lauded the tourists' openers.

"It was pleasing to the eye. When me and Sanju [Samson] went out, the ball was swinging and we were like, 'how did they [the openers] manage it?'" said the India captain.

"Getting 100 in five overs, I have not seen that before at the international level.

"It is essential [to play without fear]. Coming overseas, you will be challenged. Credit where it is due and the way they played is exceptional.

"Two more to go, I hope they keep continuing this form."

Just admiring their own brilliance  Abhishek Sharma  Vaibhav Sooryavanshi #TeamIndia | #NZvIND https://t.co/g7FTeNGOsf

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 27, 2026

India recorded the highest powerplay score (118-0) and the fastest team 150 (7.4 overs) in men's T20Is, led by Sharma's relentless knock.

Sharma now has the most T20 centuries of any Indian player (11), with only Chris Gayle (22) and Babar Azam (13) recording more among all players.

He has also recorded three of the four fastest T20I hundreds for India.

"The key was pretty much simple – that me and Vaibhav enjoy our time," said Sharma.

"When we were fielding, we saw there was some extra bounce and that we could target the shorter side.

"Vaibhav started off well, and we took the momentum from there. It is not that easy, but it is down to the preparation.

"Huge shoutout to our coaching staff and our side-arm bowlers. We had a good practice session yesterday and I just wanted to use it. I manifested this innings, and it happened."