India chase T20I series glory as New Zealand fight for survival in Wellington

With two wins already secured, Team India can clinch an incredible series victory if they replicate their Christchurch heroics. As the caravan moves to Wellington, India will set their sights on a remarkable T20I series triumph in New Zealand's fortress.

One thing that will certainly be bothering the Men in Blue is the absence of Ishan Kishan, who has been ruled out of the third T20I as well. It will be intriguing to see if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can find his foothold after he failed to impress in the last game.

India’s bowling was far better in the last contest and they will be looking to go one step further. For New Zealand, they will be going hard after the killswitch that they failed to flip in the last game, despite cornering India. Their bowlers were able to restrict India to 70/5 and later 112/6 but Tilak Varma stood tall in the face of a daunting challenge and propelled India to the finish line. With the kind of odds on the line, and the two powerhouses in the act, one can expect this to be a full-blown blockbuster taking shape in Wellington.

Venue Watch:

Wellington is known for its windy conditions which also plays a significant part in defining the game. With the wind being a part of the equation, one might expect significant movement on the surface. Another crucial element of the pitch is the spongy bounce which will compel the batters to figure out their strokes if they want to make the most from the game. The second half of the game might see batting get slightly easier, if dew does set in.

Match details:

Match: India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I

Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington

Date: 27th October, 2026

Time: 12:30 PM IST

Head-to-head:

Matches played – 33

India – 19

New Zealand - 11

Squads:

India:

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav

New Zealand:

Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner