India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I Highlights: India wins series 1-0, match tied on DLS method

“Would have liked to win the game by playing the full overs, but it is what it is. At some point, I felt attack is the best defence on this wicket. We know the kind of bowling attacks they have, it was very important to get those 10-15 runs extra even though we lost a couple of wickets. A game like this could have given us an opportunity to test some of the players, but having said weather is something we cannot control.”

“It’s disappointing even with the bat. We spoke about getting out there and giving everything we could, take early wickets. We knew if we can get those wickets, anything could happen, but unfortunately, the weather came in. You don’t know until both sides batted on it, would have been an interesting game but hadn’t gone the full tilt. A little bit of uncertainty around the scoreboard about whether it was a tie when the rain came in. Nice to be back in some ODI cricket against a quality side like India. Hoping for a good crowd in Auckland.”

“The wicket isn’t easy to bat and I was prepared to bowl hard lengths which gave me the rewards. I prepared myself to bowl hard lengths and had so much practice during World Cup and I just executed my plans. I always keep it simple. Just bowl the hard lengths. The weather is not in our hands, happy with the series win.”

That’s it. It’s a tie and India wins the series 1-0. The umpires decided that no play can be possible further and have communicated the same to both teams.

NZ 160 (19.4 overs), IND 75/4 (9 overs)| Match tied (Teams score level on DLS method)

It’s not raining at the moment and the umpires are out for an inspection. The outfield seems to be wet and soggy and we will have a confirmation soon.

It’s raining at the moment and the game will be called off if it doesn’t start in the next 20 minutes.

The rain has picked up and it’s pouring heavily at the moment. The is plenty of rain in the radar but India won’t mind a tie if no further play is possible.

India is at par with the Duckworth Lewis (DLS) score at 75/4 in 9 overs, which means if there is no further play, the match will be tied. Had India scored one extra run, it could had been ahead and had the chance to win the game, if there is no play. However, they can still win the series 1-0 if the game ends in a tie. But, let’s hope the play resumes and we have a logical end to the final match. India needs 86 runs in 66 balls. For the moment, It’s pelting at the moment.

India is at par with the DLS core, which is 75/4 at this stage at the end of nine overs as Deepak Hooda and Hardik Pandya drive India with the rain just hovering around. Scratch that as the rain has picked up and the players are going off the field.

Ish Sodhi has got the prized scalp of Suryakumar Yadav and what a timely wicket for New Zealand. On the middle, Surya went on his backfoot and smacks it straight down the throat of Phillips at deep mid-wicket. Deepak Hooda joins skipper Hardik Pandya.

Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav have taken charge of the chase as the good news is India is ahead if the DLS comes into play now but there is no rain threat at the moment. Despite losing wickets, Hardik and Surya have maintained a healthy run-rate going at almost 10 per over against the required rate of 7.50 with the Indian skipper riding on top of the bounce and smoking Tim Southee over the deep mid-wicket for a maximum. Surya, meanwhile is batting the way he has been, taking on the bowlers and pulling out some exquisite shots.

Tim Southee has put India in all sorts of trouble and the Indian openers have been guilty of throwing their wickets away. Knowing well that rain might have a say in the result of the series decider, India needs to cross the 30-run mark without losing wickets in five overs in case the DLS comes into play. However, the men in blue find themselves in a hole losing three quick wickets. Pant perished while playing a rash shot as the wicketkeeper sliced a short ball to Ish Sodhi to third man and then Southee sets up Shreyas Iyer with a short ball. The New Zealand stand-in skipper digs in short and gets big on to Iyer, who looks to defend awkwardly but guides it to Neesham at slip. Hardik Pandya joins Suryakumar Yadav.

Adam Milne strikes and Ishan Kishan perishes while trying to dispatch the fast bowler into the stands. The batsman was hit on the shoulder and Ishan gave a fitting reply by smashing Milne through the mid-wicket for a boundary. However, Ishan falls while trying to smoke Milne over the deep square leg boundary but fails to clear Chapman, who takes a well-judged catch just near the fence.

Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan are out in the middle and the Indian openers will look to give a fiery start in chase of 161. There are showers predicted for the evening and the first five overs will be crucial for India as the DLS might come into play as the game progresses. Tim Southee will operate with the new ball. Here we go!

Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh registered terrific four-wicket hauls as India bowled out New Zealand for 160 in 19.4 overs Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips hit half-centuries and threatened to post a massive total with a 86-run stand but India bounced back with Siraj and Arshdeep sharing eight wickets among themselves. New Zealand lost eight wickets for 30 runs and that sums up the brilliant show from the Indian pacers.

Siraj and Arshdeep have brought down the high-flying Kiwis with four-wicket hauls as New Zealand slipped from a position of strength as the home side lost six wickets for just 3 runs and this has been an extraordinary turnaround from India. New Zealand was posied to score at least 180 on the back of Phillips’ and Conway’s half-century but Siraj and Arshdeep ripped through the middle-order by sharing eight wickets among themselves. Arshdeep finishes with figures of 4-0-37-4.

Mohammed Siraj with a four-wicket haul has applied brakes on the New Zealand batting as Arshdeep Singh picked his second wicket. New Zealand was in a position of strength but lost wickets in cluster to throw away the advantage and this has been an excellent spell from the fast bowler. Siraj bowling at the death was exceptional as he finished with 4-0-17-4 and this has simply been outstanding.

Siraj strikes and he has bowled brilliantly in all the three stages of the game. This time, the fast bowler digs in one short and Phillips goes for the pull short but ends up getting a top-edge as Bhuvneshwar Kumar settled under the ball. Siraj breaks the 86-run stand and that’s an important wicket for India.

Glenn Phillips has smashed a brilliant half-century and the planned assault by New Zealand has pushed India on the backfoot. Phillips is striking at 168.75 with three sixes and five boundaries and Harshal Patel is yet to pick a wicket. The partnership is worth 85 off 58 balls and New Zealand is back on track, poised for a good finish.

Devon Conway has got to his half-century and that’s an excellent fifty given the situation New Zealand was in and the partnership has swelled to 72 in no time. Phillips has quietly done the damage and his approaching his half-century with Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling out. The swing bowler finishes with figures of 4-0-35-0. The stage is set for New Zealand to go for the cleaners in the last six with eight wickets in hand.

Yuzvendra Chahal is done with his third over and the leg-spinner has been expensive and is yet to pick a wicket and make an impact in the game. The pair of Phillips and Conway have brought the fifty-run partnership off 43 balls. Chahal has been expensive as the spinner has leaked 35 runs in his three overs and India needs to break this stand.

Mohammad Siraj is back into the attack and although New Zealand is not running away from the game, India will look for a couple of a wickets, with Siraj operating in the middle overs. The field is spread and he is bowling to the field, hitting the deck and making the batsmen play.

Conway and Phillips are trying to break away from the shackles and Harshal Patel, who replaced Washington Sundar is introduced into the attack and the medium pacer begins by giving six runs in his first over. Important passage of play as the batsmen will come hard as the last four overs, yielded just 17 runs and India will need wickets to keep a lid on the scoring. Hardik will be happy with the way the game has progressed so far, but wickets will be the key and Chahal will play a crucial role with the New Zealand batsmen looking aggressive.

Deepak Hooda is introduced into the attack and the all-rounder starts well giving just three runs. Yuzvendra Chahal operates from the other end as New Zealand faces trial by spin. Completely two different kind of spinners as Hooda will mix deliveries and Chahal with his orthodox leg spin. Interesting to see how Phillips and Conway approach the Indian spinners.

Mohammad Siraj has picked a wicket straightaway on his second ball after being introduced into the attack and it’s the dangerous Chapman who departs. Length delivery, Chapman looked to play it on the on-side but closed the bat a tad early as the ball took a leading edge and Arshdeep Singh settled underneath the skiper.

Devon Conway has decided to attack and tears into Arshdeep Singh and smacks the bowler for 19 runs to get the New Zealand scorecard moving. A pull through the mid-wicket boundary, a beautiful hit on the up over the extra cover region for a six and then a loft over the bowler’s head for a boundary has got New Zealand up and running..

Mark Chapman joins Devon Conway and the latter is finally off the mark after facing eight deliveries. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is posing tough questions and is looking to unsettle Conway by moving the ball both ways. Excellent start from India.

Arshdeep Singh strikes and he is making a habit of picking a wicket in his very first over. Full delivery, swinging into the right-hander, Allen plays a swipe across the line, misses the ball and that looked plumb. The batsman thought of reviewing it but decided not to. As Ravi Shastri on air said, ‘Dead Duck, Don’t go up!’ India strikes early with Arshdeep providing the breakthrough.

Just four runs from the first over as Finn Allen takes three runs to get off the mark while Devon Conway is yet to get off the mark. Bhuvneshwar bowls a tidy first over, getting a hint of swing but the line and length has been accurate. With the pitch under covers for a long time the Indian bowlers will expect some help from the surface and make an early breakthrough in the series decider.

The Indians are in the team huddle and an animated Hardik Pandya doing the talking and out walk the New Zealand openers Devon Conway along with Finn Allen. For India, it will be swing specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar who will start proceedings with the new ball.

Out come the Indians and they are going back as the umpires have pulled them back into the sheds as the super sopper is doing the rounds.

“We got to live a lot of credit to SKY. It was special to watch it from behind [the stumps]. It was a very special innings. The way he hit the ball, the way he accessed the gaps, it was like we did not have any fielders. It was very very hard to bowl to him.”

Very happy with the way we played last game, it was the first game after the World Cup, and looking at the mindset of each and every player, it was very good to see. Everyone going in with a positive intent, everyone giving it their best and it was a lovely game for us. The conditions over here always have been like this, have played a lot of games in New Zealand for India A. We don’t think about the rain so much, we know how to switch on when the game happens and we as professional players know how to switch off and switch on. Let’s see if the match happens and we will give our best.

The covers are off and the rain has cleared in Napier., The groundsmen have removed almost all the covers and we are all set for the match to get underway.

Rain has returned and it’s drizzling at the moment. The groundsmen are quick to get the covers back on at McLean Park in Napier. Hopefully it should pass soon and so far we have a full game in our hands.

India skipper Hardik Pandya was happy to lose the toss as he wanted to bowl first. Tim Southee did raise some eyebrows after winning the toss and opting to bat first as with the rain around, the DLS will come into play.

Ajay Jadeja, who inspected the pitch reckons that the grass will assist the batsmen and that the pitch is not threatening and he describes the track as a ‘lawn’, suitable for the batsmen.

Well looking at the conditions, India has gone with two spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Deepak Hooda and the all-rounder has done well to retain his spot with India looking to win the series 2-0.

We wanted to bowl first anyway, so we got what we wanted. I think the pitch will remain the same for the entire 40 overs, but with the grass on it, there could be some lateral movement for our pacers. We do keep the dimensions in mind, but we do the skill-set in our bowling line-up. We can’t think too much about the conditions. One change, Harshal comes in place of Washington Sundar

“We will bat. Looks like a pitch where we can put the runs on the board. We can’t really control the weather, but the history of this ground suggests good batting conditions. Our bowling the other night wasn’t the best, but credit to Sky. Mark Chapman comes in straightaway. You look back at places where we can improve as a team.”

New Zealand Playing XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee(c), Lockie Ferguson

India Playing XI: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

New Zealand wins toss, opts to bat first

The pitch has been under covers for the last couple of hours. It looks like a belter, it’s hard and not a lot of moisture. Side boundaries are really small. There is an even covering of grass, so the bounce could be spongy and that’ll help the spinners to grip. The captain winning the toss will want to chase

The toss is about to happen in five minutes from now and Anjum Chopra reckons the pitch is a belter.

The sun is out and the covers are slowly coming off. The toss is delayed and we might have a curtailed game if the toss doesn’t happen soon. We await for an official confirmation as when the toss will happen.

There is no rain at this moment and we will have an inspection shortly. The good news is that the sun is out and we should have the toss soon.

I am a batting all-rounder, so scoring runs is very important, but I’m working on my bowling as well and want to chip in whenever the team needs me. I have been playing as an all-rounder since my debut, I have worked hard on my bowling over the last 3 months, even when I’m not featuring in the team. I would like to bat at 5, we have a legend playing at 3 and I have to be realistic, I can’t get that spot (smiles). It’s a problem at times to adapt to batting at 5 or 6, but I have done that role as I am an utility player and need to play according to the situation of the game.

The toss has been delayed in Napier but the good news there is no rain at this moment. The pitch is under covers and the players are warming-up.

Good news folks! There is absolutely no rain at the moment and the players from both camps are out in the field going through their drills. We just have the toss in time. It’s a sand based outfield and Simon Doull informs that the drainage is excellent and that it’s dry. Let’s hope it stays this way.

Well it isn’t exactly peltying down in Napier but the conditions are not conducive for a game of cricket as there is a slight drizzle. The covers are firmly on and there is still good 20 minutes for the toss to happen. Fingers crossed.

Covers are on in Napier but the good news is it isn’t raining at the moment and going by the looks of it, we should have the toss on time.

New Zealand Predicted XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman/Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson

India Predicted XI: Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav/Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh/Umran Malik, Mohammad Siraj

India Squad: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Umran Malik

New Zealand Squad: Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee(c), Lockie Ferguson, Michael Bracewell, Blair Tickner

Where can I watch the live streaming of India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I match in India?

India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I match will be streamed live on Amazon Prime Video.

Having taken a 1-0 series lead, India may be tempted to test its bench strength by picking Umran Malik and Sanju Samson in the third and final T20 against New Zealand. India was expected to try out a bunch of players after another World Cup debacle but if the team combination for the second T20 was any indication, the team seemed reluctant to start with a clean slate. If not for the individual brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav, India would have struggled to post 160 on Sunday and it would have been a grim reminder of its travails in the World Cup Down Under.

So far so good as it isn’t raining at the moment. But occasional showers are predicted as the evening progresses in Napier.