WELLINGTON, October 2026: India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the third T20 International at Hnry Stadium on Tuesday, with the visitors retaining an unchanged playing XI.
India continued with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at No. 3, while wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan remained unavailable as he recovers from a groin injury.
New Zealand, meanwhile, made three changes to their lineup as they manage the workload of their fast bowlers ahead of the upcoming ODI and Test matches against India. Injured pacers Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson were left out, along with Nathan Smith. Matthew Fisher, Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne were brought into the playing XI.
Speaking at the toss, Iyer said adapting quickly to the conditions and ground dimensions would be crucial for India.
“We are going to bowl. Certain aspects we definitely need to keep improving. The dimensions and conditions are different, so the quicker we adapt, the better for us,” Iyer said.
He added that the players understood their roles within the team, confirming that India would field the same combination as in the previous match.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner described the surface as promising, with pace and bounce expected to assist the bowlers. He also noted that the ground dimensions were different from those at the venue where the teams had played previously.
“Looks like another good wicket, some pace and bounce. There is no wind, which is nice. The dimensions are slightly different to where we have come from,” Santner said.
Acknowledging India’s strength, the New Zealand skipper stressed the importance of maintaining intensity throughout the contest. He confirmed that Henry, Ferguson and Smith were being rested or left out, with Fisher, Jamieson and Milne coming into the side.
The third T20I offers India an opportunity to assess their combination and adapt to Wellington’s playing conditions, while New Zealand will look to make the most of their revised bowling attack.
Playing XIs
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher.
India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
