"This is not someone's IPL season or ODI series" - Twiteratti react as Jonny Bairstow's blazing knock guides ENG to a 3-0 win vs NZ

Jonny Bairstow remained unbeaten on 71 off just 44 balls in the third Test vs New Zealand.
Jonny Bairstow remained unbeaten on 71 off just 44 balls in the third Test vs New Zealand.

Jonny Bairstow played another swashbuckling knock as England defeated New Zealand by seven wickets to complete a 3-0 series whitewash on Monday.

Chasing 296 runs in the fourth innings, the hosts lost both their openers with the scoreboard at 51. But Ollie Pope and Joe Root revived the innings with a 134-run partnership before Bairstow's carnage unfolded at Headingley.

He notched up a 30-ball fifty as England chased down 113 runs in just 15.2 overs to begin a new era under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. Bairstow remained unbeaten on 71 off just 44, scoring at a rate of over 160 in a knock that included eight boundaries and three towering sixes.

Fans were excited to see an attacking brand of cricket in the red-ball format on Day 5.

Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Jonny Bairstow has been in superlative form in the last couple of series. After poor returns in the first three innings of the series, the wicketkeeper-batter turned heads with his aggressive brand of cricket.

The right-handed batter smacked 136 runs to help his side pull off a great heist at Trent Bridge. Bairstow continued his good run of form in Leeds when he pulled England out of a tricky situation with a 162-run knock before another match-winning earlier today.


"He's playing with such confidence and freedom" - Joe Root on Jonny Bairstow

The Yorkshire cricketer finished off proceedings with a towering six off Mitchell Bracewell and raised his bat to celebrate the victory

Another Yorkshire player watched the madness unfold from the other end in complete awe of his teammate. Praising Bairstow at the post-match presentation ceremony, Joe Root said:

"The way he's playing he's hitting the ball really well. It's great to see him play like this and the crowd surely enjoyed it, as we did in the dressing room. It's just great to see him show the rest of the world how good he is, and just how good he's been moving forward in that trajectory.
"He's playing with such confidence and freedom. I can't see too many guys look better than he does when he gets going like that."

England will hope to keep the momentum going as they look to save the series against India. The rescheduled fifth Test is all set to get underway from July 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar