In a thrilling third T20I at Guwahati, New Zealand stuttered to 153/9 against India’s relentless bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah’s lethal 3-wicket burst. Chasing 154, the hosts can seal the five-match series with a win, building on their 2-0 advantage.
Suryakumar Yadav’s toss win set the tone, inviting New Zealand to bat under pressure. Disaster struck early: Conway out for 1 at 2/1, Ravindra for 4 at 13/2. Phillips and Seifert added 21 for the third wicket, but Seifert’s 12 off 11 ended abruptly.
The middle order showed fight. Phillips and Chapman forged 52 off 41, with Chapman’s explosive 32 (2×6, 2×4) off 23 and Phillips’ near-fifty 48 (1×6, 6×4) off 40 providing respectability. Santner’s 27 helped, but nine wickets down sealed a below-par total.
Bumrah’s 3/17 was the highlight, supported by Pandya and Bishnoi’s 2/ each, and Rana’s 1. India’s lineup—Samson (wk), Abhishek, Ishan, SKY (c), Dube, Pandya, Rinku, Rana, Bishnoi, Kuldeep, Bumrah—brims with confidence.
New Zealand’s Santner-led XI, featuring Conway, Seifert (wk), Ravindra, Phillips, Chapman, Mitchell, Jamieson, Henry, Sodhi, Duffy, battled hard but couldn’t overcome early blows.
History favors India in chases like this. A victory tonight would mark another dominant chapter in their T20 dominance over New Zealand.
