So India is getting close to another T20I series win. This has been a script ever since Suryakumar Yadav has been at the helm of things and most of the time, the Indian team has rarely been tested. Since Suryakumar became the skipper, they have won six T20I bilateral series on the trot with 20 victories and just four losses.
The win in Raipur showed how dominant the defending T20 World Cup champions can be as they just batted New Zealand out of the contest, despite being eight for two in two overs. A big question was how Ishan Kishan would respond after his return to the national side, and the Jharkhand batter showed his mettle with a record-breaking 76 off 32 balls. Suryakumar’s own form was under the scanner after a horrid 2025, and the Indian captain came back to form with a blistering 82 off 37 balls as the hosts chased down 209 runs in just 15.2 overs.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner was left stunned and was wondering what his side will need to do to get an upper hand over the rampaging Indian team. Santner put in a good effort with the bat but admitted that maybe 300 is a score that could prevent India from chasing down a target.
The third T20I will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website, while the match will also be telecast on the Star Sports network from 7.00 PM IST on Sunday.
While there are a lot of things to be happy about with the main cast and their performances, there are a few players currently in the background who need to step up. After all, this is the final stretch to the T20 World Cup title defence and India cannot afford to carry players who may be doubts when it comes to an ICC event.
Will the real Samson stand up?
It was just a few months ago that people were clamouring for Sanju Samson to be a part of the T20I lineup for India. There was good reason for it as he had a sensational run in 2024 as an opener, scoring three hundreds in the format and amassing 436 runs in 13 matches with an average above 43 and a strike-rate of 180.16.
He was able to finally get a chance to shine against South Africa and produced a decent performance but at a high strike-rate to change the mind of the Indian team management that he is the right man to partner Abhishek Sharma at the top.
Fast-forward to 2026, and in two matches, Samson has just 16 runs with a strike-rate of 133.33. More than the numbers, it is the way in which Samson has got out that will worry the fans. Both of them have been soft dismissals in the end.
While India may have an attack-heavy approach, consistency is key to sustain the method, as shown by Abhishek and the rest. WV Raman broke down the issue related to Samson saying that he needs to adjust the speed of his bat and cannot always look to be like a speeding car all the time.
“Sanju Samson will be inconsistent as long as he does not adjust the speed of his bat on the downswing in relation to the pace of the ball. In simple terms, one cannot drive a car at the same speed all the time, everywhere,” said Raman on X.
This wasn’t the case when Samson was in his purple patch as his hand-eye co-ordination was perfect and he was getting those big shots going with minimal effort. Probably a return to the basics is what the Kerala wicketkeeper needs.
Whatever tweaks Samson needs to make, they need to be done quickly. Tilak Varma is expected for the last two games, meaning that he will likely return to the No.3 spot. But given that Kishan has been in fine form and Shivam Dube’s all-round abilities being vital, Samson could be the one who may get the axe.
Santner and New Zealand need to buckle up
When Santner joined the New Zealand camp, they were buzzing just after a historic ODI series win. The expectations were sky-high and there was a chance that they could end a near 14-year wait for a T20I series win on Indian soil.
Now, it seems like a very distant dream at the moment as the Blackcaps have looked just clueless infront of the Indian onslaught with the bat. In terms of their own batters, they have all got starts with Glenn Phillips impressing in the first game and Rachin Ravindra in the second one.
But no one has gone on to make that big hundred that is needed to put the pressure on the Indian team. On the bowling front, apart from Jacob Duffy, the rest look to be rusty and not executing their plans against the Indian batters.
Santner’s own calls have come under scrutiny as everyone was left shocked when he replaced Matt Henry during the second match after delivering a wicket in his first over for Zak Foulkes. If you need to win against this Indian team, you need to be at the top of the game, something teams have failed to do since 2024.
3RD T20I, IND vs NZ: GUWAHATI PITCH AND WEATHER
The wicket at the Barsapara stadium is known to be one that is conducive to batting, with the ball coming on nicely to the bat. The bowlers could extract something from the track early on, but the batters are expected to enjoy proceedings later on. The dimensions of the ground is smaller than the one in Raipur, so we can expect another high-scoring affair.
Adding to this, will be the possibility of dew in the evening. The temperature in the morning is 26 degree celsius and will go down to 13 as the game proceeds into the night. This means that the teams winning the toss may elect to field first and aim to chase the target down.
3RD T20I, IND vs NZ: TEAM NEWS
India decided to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the second match with Harshit Rana coming in for the ace pacer. If India decides to bring back Bumrah for the contest, maybe Harshit could make way or Arshdeep Singh, who played the first two matches, might be given a rest.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled well during the Raipur game but still could make way out of the team if Axar Patel is deemed to be fit. For New Zealand, they may be thinking about bringing Lockie Ferguson into the mix as the pacer is available for selection.
Zak Foulkes had a day to forget in Raipur, conceding 67 runs in three overs. Otherwise, Kyle Jamieson could also be picked to be back in the team. Mark Chapman has looked off colour in the series and this maybe a chance for the Blackcaps to test out the exciting Bevon Jacobs in Guwahati.
India predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana/Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
New Zealand predicted XI: Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman/Bevon Jacobs, Mitchell Santner (c), Lockie Ferguson/Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi.
– Ends
