IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I: Red-hot India sets sights on yet another T20I series triumph

In the lead-up to a marquee ICC event such as the T20 World Cup, a bilateral assignment offers teams an ideal platform to fine-tune strategies and settle on combinations.

Often, the contest’s outcome takes a back seat as the focus shifts to the big picture. Still, there is nothing better than a morale-boosting series win heading into a multi-nation competition. India will aim for exactly that when it takes on New Zealand in the third T20I at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.

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Suryakumar Yadav’s men produced dominant victories in Nagpur and Raipur and now have set their sights on wrapping up the five-match rubber. The Men in Blue are hitting their stride at the right moment.

The twin wins have shown that the final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place for the reigning champion. The depth in India’s batting line-up shone brightly and in contrasting styles — one while setting up a target and another chasing.

In recent times, one of the concerns for the host had been the form of Suryakumar, who hadn’t scored a half-century since the back-end of 2024.

The 35-year-old showed signs of regaining his fluency in Nagpur (32) and in Raipur confirmed that uptrend with a scintillating unbeaten 82 (37b, 9×4, 4×6) to help chase down a 209-run target inside 16 overs on Friday.

Prior to this series, the selectors took some tough calls, rejigging key roles. Opener Shubman Gill, the then vice-captain, and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, were axed, and in came Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan.

Kishan, after two years in the wilderness, fought his way back into the national set-up, scoring a truckload of runs in domestic cricket across formats. Though the 27-year-old is in the squad as the reserve wicketkeeper, Tilak Varma’s injury has meant the Jharkhand player replaced him at No. 3 in the first two encounters. His match-winning knock (76, 32b, 11×4, 4×6) in Raipur should please the management.

On the bowling front, while Arshdeep Singh had a forgettable day in the second game, the rest of the attack — operating without spearhead Jasprit Bumrah — responded well by applying the brakes in the middle phase to restrict the Kiwis to a reasonable total.

The visitors, however, have quite a few headaches to sort out. Opener Devon Conway has had a quiet run so far in the subcontinent, and must step up. The bowlers, too, have been sent on a leather hunt in both outings and need to find a way to tie down the home team’s batters.

“I think we’ve got a lot of heart in this dressing room. Every game is an experience, and is a build-up to what’s ahead,” said New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra on Friday.

Two months back at this venue, India suffered the ignominy of its heaviest defeat in terms of runs in Tests against South Africa. On Sunday, the Gautam Gambhir-coached team has a chance to clinch a ninth consecutive bilateral T20I series and sound the bugle ahead of the global showpiece.

Published on Jan 24, 2026