India stand one win away from sealing the series as they face New Zealand in the third T20I at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday. The match begins at 12:30 PM IST (8:00 PM local), with the toss at 12:00 PM IST, and a victory would give the visitors an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. For New Zealand, beaten by four wickets in both Christchurch matches, this is must-win territory.
The biggest variable in Wellington could be the weather. Swirling winds of up to 55 kph swept through the city on match eve and, while they are expected to ease slightly on match day, the wind will still be a real factor for bowlers and fielders alike. Some rain is also forecast on Tuesday, though it is expected to clear in time for the evening start. India know such conditions can bite: they were caught out by the wind in Ireland during Shreyas Iyer’s first stint as captain, when the breeze and the bounce proved difficult to negotiate.
The drop-in surface at the venue traditionally offers bounce and pace, and sides have generally favoured batting second here, although South Africa comfortably defended 164 in the last T20I played at the ground at the end of last season. New Zealand’s recent record at the venue is poor: they have won only two of their seven T20Is at Hnry Stadium since 2020.
India are unlikely to tinker with a winning combination. Ishan Kishan is ruled out for at least one more game as he recovers from his adductor strain, so Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to get another opportunity at No. 3 — a press expectation at this stage, not a confirmed selection. Bowling coach Morne Morkel has made it clear the tourists want more from themselves: “From now on, we sort of said there’s no more excuses. We want our standards to go up.” New Zealand, meanwhile, have rested Matt Henry for the rest of the series and Lockie Ferguson also misses this match, although their spinners have quietly outperformed their pacers in this series, taking eight wickets to the quicks’ four. Coach Rob Walter remains upbeat: “I felt we’ve played pretty well in probably 80% of each game. We just haven’t been able to put the finishing touches on it each time, which is disappointing.”
Probable XI (not confirmed): India — Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav. New Zealand — Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy.
