T20

NZ vs IND 3rd T20I 2026: Abhishek 113 (38), India Win Series

Published on October 27, 2026

Summary Overview: India beat New Zealand by 6 wickets with 40 balls to spare in the 3rd T20I in Wellington to win the series. Abhishek Sharma hit 113 off 38 balls with 11 sixes, and India made 118 in the powerplay. Daryl Mitchell's 89 not out was in vain.

Who won? India, by 6 wickets with 40 balls to spare. New Zealand made 198 for 3, and India chased it down in just 13.2 overs at the Hnry Stadium, Wellington.

Who starred? Abhishek Sharma smashed 113 off 38 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes, and was named Player of the Match. Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added 45 off 19.

How fast was it? India scored 118 runs in the six-over powerplay, and the openers put on 133 off 43 balls.

What does it mean? India lead the five-match series 3-0 and have won the series with two games to play.

Match Report: A Run Chase Like No Other

For readers new to cricket: in a T20 match, each team bats for up to 20 overs (an over is six legal deliveries). The first six overs are the powerplay, when only two fielders can stand outside the inner circle, which makes it easier to hit boundaries. A team wins by wickets when it chases down the target.

New Zealand's Innings: Mitchell Leads the Way

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl. Arshdeep Singh removed Tim Seifert in the second over, but Finn Allen hit five sixes in 40 off 25, and he and Daryl Mitchell added 86 off 43 balls.

Nitish Kumar Reddy removed Allen, and Axar Patel caught and bowled Glenn Phillips at 123 for 3. Mitchell and Bevon Jacobs (39 not out off 23) then added an unbroken 75 off 48 balls. Mitchell finished on 89 not out off 52, with five fours and five sixes, and New Zealand posted 198 for 3.

On most nights, 198 would be a strong total. This was not most nights.

India's Chase: Abhishek and Sooryavanshi Run Riot

Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the New Zealand attack apart from the first over. India reached 118 without loss after six overs, and the openers had put on 133 off just 43 balls when Matthew Fisher finally removed Sooryavanshi for 45 off 19, with four fours and four sixes.

Abhishek kept going. He hit 11 sixes in all, reaching his century and adding 45 with Sanju Samson (18) before Kyle Jamieson had him caught by Phillips for 113 off 38 balls at 178 for 2.

Santner removed Iyer, and Jamieson bowled Samson, but by then India needed only 4 runs. Naman Dhir hit his first ball for four to win the match, and the series, with 40 balls to spare.

Turning Point: 118 in the Powerplay

New Zealand's 198 needed a run rate of almost 10 an over. India's openers scored at nearly 20 an over in the powerplay, and by the end of the sixth over they had already scored 118, well over half the target. Only captain Mitchell Santner (3 overs for 17) kept the run rate under 13 an over.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
Abhishek Sharma	India	113 (38), 9 fours, 11 sixes, Player of the Match
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi	India	45 (19), 4 fours, 4 sixes
Sanju Samson (wk)	India	18 (13)
Arshdeep Singh	India	1 for 33 (4 overs)
Daryl Mitchell	New Zealand	*89 (52)**, 5 fours, 5 sixes
Finn Allen	New Zealand	40 (25), 5 sixes
Bevon Jacobs	New Zealand	39* (23)
Kyle Jamieson	New Zealand	2 for 45 (3.2 overs)
Mitchell Santner (c)	New Zealand	1 for 17 (3 overs)

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
Arshdeep's early strike	New Zealand 4 for 1 (1.2 overs)
Allen and Mitchell stand	86 off 43 balls for the 2nd wicket
Mitchell and Jacobs stand	75* off 48 balls for the 4th wicket
New Zealand total	198 for 3 (20 overs)
India powerplay	118 for 0 (6 overs)
Abhishek and Sooryavanshi stand	133 off 43 balls for the 1st wicket
Abhishek out	178 for 2 (10 overs)
India win	199 for 4 (13.2 overs)

Powerplay Comparison

Team	First 6 overs
New Zealand	58 for 1
India	118 for 0

Playing XIs

Team	Playing XI
New Zealand	Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher
India	Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav

Bench: New Zealand: Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Devon Conway. India: Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kumar Kushagra, Mayank Yadav.

Series So Far

Match	Venue	Result
1st T20I	Hagley Oval, Christchurch	India won by 4 wickets (NZ 225/4, IND 230/6 in 19.4 overs)
2nd T20I	Hagley Oval, Christchurch	India won by 4 wickets (NZ 180/5, IND 181/6 in 19.5 overs)
3rd T20I	Hnry Stadium, Wellington	India won by 6 wickets (NZ 198/3, IND 199/4 in 13.2 overs)

Series score: India 3, New Zealand 0. India have won the series.

What's Next

Match	Date	Venue	Local (NZDT)	IST	Pakistan	UK	ET
4th T20I	Fri, Oct 30	Eden Park, Auckland	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	12:00 PM	7:00 AM	3:00 AM
5th T20I	Sun, Nov 1	Seddon Park, Hamilton	8:00 PM	12:30 PM	12:00 PM	7:00 AM	2:00 AM

Local time is New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT, UTC+13). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). Pakistan is on PKT (UTC+5). UK times are GMT. ET is US Eastern Time: the 4th T20I is on Daylight Time, and the 5th T20I is on Standard Time, as US clocks go back on November 1.