India won the toss and chose to bowl in the third T20I against New Zealand at Wellington on 27 October, with the visitors needing one more win to clinch the five match series. India came into the third match after two four wicket wins in Christchurch, and an unchanged side reflected the confidence in the group that had won the first two games. New Zealand, by contrast, were forced into changes, and the home side had to reshape its pace attack for the match.
The series context gave the Wellington game a clear shape before a ball was bowled. A win for India would settle the series with two matches still to play, and it would reward a strong start in Christchurch. A win for New Zealand would keep the series alive and give the home side a foothold after two defeats.
New Zealand were forced into three pace changes for the Wellington match. Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and Nathan Smith were out, and they were replaced by Adam Milne, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Fisher. A change of that size in one part of the attack is rare in a short series, and it meant that New Zealand had to find a new rhythm with the ball. The home side still had experience in its ranks, but the new pace group had to settle fast against a batting order that had already won twice in the series.
India named an unchanged side for the Wellington match. The India line up was Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer as captain, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh. The selection kept the same batting order and the same bowling mix that had served the side in Christchurch, and it gave the players a clear sense of their roles for the third game.
Wellington toss and team changes
The New Zealand line up for the Wellington match was Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Bevon Jacobs, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner as captain, Matthew Fisher, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne and Jacob Duffy. Santner led a side that mixed batting power at the top with spin and pace options in the middle and late overs. The presence of three new pace bowlers in that list showed how much the home side had to adjust, and it placed extra value on the early work of the returning and retained bowlers.
Choosing to bowl first also shaped the early plan for India. A captain who bowls first often wants early wickets, and early wickets can slow a batting side that wants to set a strong total. For New Zealand, the task was to survive the new ball and then build a platform for the later overs.
Wellington early play and first wicket
Arshdeep Singh dismissed Seifert early in the Wellington innings, and the wicket gave India the start it wanted after winning the toss. A first wicket in the early overs can change the tone of an innings, because it brings a new batter to the crease before the batting side has settled. India would have wanted to use that opening to add pressure, and the bowlers who followed Arshdeep had a clear job in the next few overs.
Finn Allen and Daryl Mitchell then counter attacked, and their response kept New Zealand in the match after the early loss. A counter attack after a wicket is a common response in T20 cricket, because it stops the bowling side from building a long spell of control. Allen and Mitchell took on the bowling and looked to score at a rate that would keep New Zealand on course for a competitive total, even after Seifert had gone.
Wellington series context after Christchurch
The two wins in Christchurch had given India a 2-0 lead, and each win had come by four wickets. Those wins also meant that India did not need to change a winning side, and the unchanged team for the Wellington match was a direct result of that start.
For New Zealand, the third match was a chance to reset after Christchurch and after the forced pace changes. A home win would cut the series lead to 2-1 and give the new pace group a result to build on. The early play, with Seifert out and Allen and Mitchell fighting back, set up the next phase of a match that still had much to decide.