A series on offer in Wellington: India and New Zealand meet in the third T20I on 27 October

India came back from the edge in Christchurch on 24 October. Chasing 181, they had lost six wickets for 112 when two Telugu batters, Tilak Varma of Hyderabad and Nitish Kumar Reddy of Visakhapatnam, put on an unbroken 69 and finished the match in the last over. Tilak made 51 not out off 26 balls, Nitish 26 not out off 13. That win put India 2-0 up in the five-match series. Win at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday, 27 October, and the series is theirs. Play starts at 12:30 pm IST.

Shreyas Iyer leads the side on this tour, with Tilak Varma as his deputy, in a 16-man squad that includes Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Harshit Rana. A report that Ishan Kishan was hurt in the first T20I has come from a single source; the board has said nothing yet.

New Zealand’s problems have grown. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is unavailable for this match, and Kyle Jamieson, unused in the first two games, may come in. Mitchell Santner’s side has stumbled at the key moments in both matches so far.

Wind and rain

The Wellington surface tends to balance bat and ball, and the side winning the toss usually chases. The rain forecasts disagree: one speaks of heavy rain, another puts the chance at 13 per cent. The local forecast on the morning of the match is the one to trust.

Our view: Christchurch gave India confidence, but six down for 112 is a warning. Tilak and Nitish cannot rescue every match. Play the first six overs carefully in Wellington and the series ends there.