India continued their dominance over New Zealand with a convincing six-wicket win in the third T20I in Wellington, securing an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series.
India clinched a commanding six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20 international fixture on Tuesday in Wellington, with batters Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s incredible bowling stand troubling the Blackcaps’ bowling line-up during the chase.
The Men in Blue’s six-wicket win has helped them clinch an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing T20I series, effectively sealing a series victory with two matches remaining.
New Zealand deliver 198 in 20 overs
After India opted to bowl first, New Zealand were powered by Finn Allen (40) and Daryl Mitchell (89*) after opener Tim Seifert was dismissed for just two. Glenn Phillips put up 17, while Bevon Jacobs put up an unbeaten 39 to help the Blackcaps reach 198/3 in 20 overs.
The Bhuvneshwar Kumar magic continued to fall flat, and Prince Yadav also conceded over 40 runs. But Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Nitish Reddy picked up a wicket each in the first innings, managing to keep the Blackcaps’ score under 200 runs.
India weren’t at their best with the ball, but the batters made sure to compensate during the chase.
Abhishek, Vaibhav star for India
Abhishek and Vaibhav delivered an incredible start for India, scoring a 133-run opening stand. Both left-handers became the New Zealand bowling attack’s biggest nightmare, smashing their deliveries all over the park.
More from FirstcricketVaibhav started strong but fell short of a well-deserved fifty by just five runs, while Abhishek smashed 113 off just 38 deliveries at a strike rate of 297.37, hitting nine fours and 11 sixes.
Abhishek and Vaibhav primarily anchored India during the chase. Sanju Samson, who came in at No. 3, scored 18 off 13, while Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for just five.
Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir put the finishing touches on the Men in Blue’s chase, with Naman smashing a boundary to cap off the match and help the team clinch a 3-0 series lead.
The fourth T20I fixture between New Zealand and India will take place on Friday, October 30, 2026, at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.