IND vs NZ: Suryakumar Yadav-led India National Cricket Team will lock horns with the Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand National Cricket Team in the third T20I of the five-match series on Sunday, January 25.
The Men in Blue will enter the match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati with a 2-0 lead and would aim to seal the series with a victory in the match.
In this article, we will have a look at each and every detail related to the India vs New Zealand (IND vs NZ) third T20I match, including the match preview, free live streaming information, pitch and weather updates, head-to-head numbers, and important stats and records.
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IND vs NZ 3rd T20I Preview:
Date and Venue:
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, will host the third T20I of the series between India and New Zealand on Sunday, January 25.
IND vs NZ Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi, Kristian Clarke (first three T20Is).
IND vs NZ Probable XIs:
There is a possibility of both India and New Zealand making changes to their Playing XIs for the third T20I of the series. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to return for the third game and will replace Harshit Rana in the side. Also, Axar Patel could be back in the side for Kuldeep Yadav if he recovers from his finger injury.
Talking about New Zealand, they made three changes to the playing XI for the second match and are likely to stick with almost similar combination, with Kyle Jamieson replacing Zak Foulkes being the only change after the latter’s horrible outing in Raipur.
India’s likely Playing XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
New Zealand’s likely Playing XI: Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
IND vs NZ Key battles:
Abhishek Sharma vs Jacob Duffy
The No.1 T20I batter vs the No.1 T20I pacer in the ICC Rankings would be the most interesting battle to watch out for during the third match between the BlackCaps and the Men in Blue.
Abhishek Sharma is currently at the peak of his powers and shown sheer dominance in T20 cricket for the past one year, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket.
On the other hand, Jacob Duffy has mostly remained under the radar, but has time and again delivered for the Kiwis. In the second T20I, he even cleaned up Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck on the first ball of his over.
Devon Conway vs Harshit Rana
Someone not aware of the recent developments won’t find Devon Conway vs Harshit Rana interesting because one is an emerging pacer and the other is a veteran who plays pace really well.
However, on the field, things have been quite interesting as Harshit Rana has made Devon Conway his bunny. Rana cleaned up Conway three consecutive times in the ODI series and then continued his dominance in the Raipur T20I by dismissing him for 19 in the 4th over of the match.
Tim Seifert vs Varun Chakravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy is regarded as the No.1 T20I bowler in the world, and he possesses the ability to bowl across all three phases of the game. He generally produces moments of brilliance in the powerplay and the same thing is done by Tim Seifert with the bat for the Kiwis.
Seifert goes absolutely berserk in the powerplay overs, and when Varun Chakravarthy comes up against him, it will make for an interesting battle. Notably, in the second T20I, Varun got the better of Seifert as he dismissed the opener for 24.
Suryakumar Yadav vs Ish Sodhi
The Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav finally returned to form in T20I Cricket during the Raipur T20I. He played a stunning knock of 82 runs while chasing the target of 209 and remained unbeaten in the middle till the very end.
He plays spin bowling really well, and that will make his battle with veteran leg-spinner Ish Sodhi an interesting one to watch out for when the two teams clash in Guwahati.
IND vs NZ Key Players:
India – Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy,
New Zealand – Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy, Glenn Phillips.
IND vs NZ 3rd T20I – Free Live Streaming and Telecast Details
TV Broadcast in India:
The Star Sports Network will televise the third T20I between India and New Zealand across India.
Online Live Streaming in India:
Fans can watch the match live on the JioHotstar app and website. Viewers will need an active subscription to access the stream.
Match Date:
The third T20I will be played on Sunday, January 25.
Venue:
The contest will be held at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
How to Watch on Television:
The live telecast of the IND vs NZ third T20I will be available on Star Sports Network channels.
How to Watch Online on Mobile and Web:
Live streaming will be accessible through the JioHotstar app and official website with a valid subscription.
IND vs NZ 3rd T20I Weather and Pitch Report – Guwahati
IND vs NZ: Weather Report in Guwahati:
Late January in Guwahati is typically dry and mild. As per AccuWeather, an average high temperature of around 26°C and a low of around 13°C is expected on Sunday, January 25.
Rain is unlikely to play spoilsport in the match as Guwahati averages only – 13 mm in January with – 2 rainy days. Humidity is expected to be around 82% in the evening, and the Dew Point in the evening is expected to be 14°.
The probability of Precipitation is around 14%, and Wind Gusts will be 13 km/h while the real feel of the temperature during match time will be 16°. Teams will largely ignore weather interruptions; dew could settle late, hence captains might favour bowling first.
IND vs NZ Pitch Report at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati:
The third T20I will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, a stadium that generally offers a batting-friendly, high-scoring surface in recent T20Is.
Historically, teams batting second have dominated – of three T20Is played here, 75% of victories have come to the chasing side. The data shows an average first-innings score of 144, compared to 189 in the second innings, suggesting dew may make late batting easier.
Spinners have taken roughly one-third of the wickets, with pacers taking the rest, and overall, a high-scoring game is expected to be on the cards. Notably, the previous match at Barsapara saw India post 237/3 on the board.
IND vs NZ Head-to-Head Records:
| Category | Matches Played | India Won | New Zealand Won | Tied | No Result | W/L Ratio (India) |
| Overall India vs New Zealand (T20Is) | 27 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | — |
| India vs New Zealand in India (T20Is) | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 |
IND vs NZ Head-to-Head Records: Key Statistics
Overall, India and New Zealand have locked horns with each other 27 times in T20I cricket. The Men in Blue have won 14 encounters while the BlackCaps have emerged victorious in 10 of them, with 3 matches being tied.
Talking about the recent form, India have won four of the last five matches against New Zealand. India won the first two T20Is of the ongoing series by 7 wickets and 48 runs, and before that, they had won by 168 runs and 6 wickets in January 2023.
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IND vs NZ Head-to-Head Records- Result of the last 5 games:
| Date | Match | Winner | Result |
| 23-Jan-26 | India vs New Zealand | India | Won by 7 wickets (with 28 balls remaining) |
| 21-Jan-26 | India vs New Zealand | India | Won by 48 runs |
| 01-Feb-23 | India vs New Zealand | India | Won by 168 runs |
| 29-Jan-23 | India vs New Zealand | India | Won by 6 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) |
| 27-Jan-23 | India vs New Zealand | New Zealand | Won by 21 runs |
Match Prediction:
India will enter the match as red-hot favourites after their dominant performance in the first two matches and will clinch the game in Guwahati. The Kiwis will need to pull off a miracle if they aim to avoid a series loss in Guwahati.
IND vs NZ – Conclusion:
So, to conclude, we can say that during the third match of the series, the team winning the toss would look to bowl first in the match to take the full advantage of the second innings.
Notably, during the second innings, a lot of dew is expected on the ground, which would make bowling difficult and batting quite easy, putting the team batting second in high advantage.
The Men in Blue would continue their ultra-aggressive brand of cricket, and with Suryakumar Yadav also returning in form, things are looking difficult for the visiting team.
A victory in the match, would seal the T20I series for India and extend the dominance of captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to lose a single series since becoming the full-time skipper.
