Rain washed out the India New Zealand 3rd ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday 10 November, and New Zealand took the three-match series 1-0 after the decider was abandoned without a ball bowled. The match was the last of the India tour of New Zealand 2026, and the weather never gave the two sides a chance to play. India needed a win to level the series, but the rain that had hung over Hamilton all day returned before play could begin, and the umpires called the game off.
The India New Zealand 3rd ODI began with the toss delayed by rain. Groundstaff worked through the morning to get the playing area ready, and the covers came off long enough for officials to set a new start time. The toss was scheduled for 3:02 PM local time, or 7:32 AM IST, with play due to begin at 3:30 PM local time, or 8:00 AM IST, and no overs had been lost at that point. Then the rain came back, the covers were pulled back over the square, and the wait began again.
A dark burgundy thunderstorm warning had appeared on the weather forecast for Seddon Park, and rain had fallen over the previous 12 hours. The groundstaff kept working between showers, but the rain was relentless, and the umpires had no window long enough to start a match. The game was called off, the teams shook hands, and New Zealand were confirmed as series winners after a day spent watching the sky.
India New Zealand 3rd ODI rain delay at Seddon Park
The India New Zealand 3rd ODI delay followed a series in which New Zealand had already taken the lead. New Zealand led the series 1-0 going into the final match, so India had to win in Hamilton to finish level. A win for the hosts would have made it 2-0, and the abandonment left the series at 1-0 in New Zealand’s favour. The result was recorded as no result, which is how an abandoned one-day international is entered in the records, and the series was settled on the cricket played in the matches that were completed.
The India New Zealand 3rd ODI abandonment was a flat end to a series that had been built up as a contest between two strong one-day sides. India arrived in New Zealand for a three-match series, and the hosts took the lead before the final game. The rain in Hamilton meant the tourists never got the chance to answer back on the field, and the series ended with the trophy staying in New Zealand. India had come into the decider knowing only a win would do, and the weather took that chance away before a ball was bowled.
India New Zealand 3rd ODI washout ends the series
The India New Zealand 3rd ODI washout also showed how quickly a one-day match can be lost to the weather in New Zealand. A full match needs a long clear window, and the showers at Seddon Park never stayed away long enough for the umpires to begin. The groundstaff did their work, the covers came on and off, and the players waited, but the rain kept returning through the afternoon. In the end there was no dry spell long enough to start, and the officials had no choice but to abandon the game.
For India, the India New Zealand 3rd ODI washout means the series ends with a 1-0 defeat and a reminder that the margins in a short series are thin. New Zealand held a 1-0 lead when the decider was washed out, and the tourists head home without the win they needed in Hamilton. For New Zealand, the series win is a reward for the cricket they played in the matches that were completed, and the trophy stays with the home side.
The India New Zealand 3rd ODI will go down as a match that never started. The toss was delayed, a start time was set, the covers came off and went back on, and the rain won the day at Seddon Park. New Zealand take the series 1-0, and India leave Hamilton with the series already decided by the cricket played before the rain arrived.