IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I, 2025-26, Highlights: Abhishek Sharma (68*) and Suryakumar Yadav (57*) power India to the fastest chase ever in a full-member clash.
Brief Scores: India 155/2 (Abhishek Sharma 68*, Suryakumar Yadav 57*, Matt Henry 1/28) beat New Zealand 153/9 (Glenn Phillips 48, Jasprit Bumrah 3/17, Ravi Bishnoi 2/18) by eight wickets to lead the series by 3-0.
Player of the match: Jasprit Bumrah (3/17)
After two clinical performances in the first couple of T20Is, India aimed to complete the series victory in the third fixture of the five-match series against New Zealand. The visitors on the other hand, hoped for an improved performance against the aggressive hosts.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first, expecting the dew to arrive late in the evening. India continued their rotation policy to keep the bowlers fresh ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. In the third T20I, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi returned to the XI in place of Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy.
Meanwhile, the Blackcaps decided to include Kyle Jamieson in the XI in place of Zakary Foulkes, who had a forgettable outing in the second T20I, going for 0/67.
Read More: IND vs NZ 2025-26, 2nd T20I: Kishan-SKY power-packed blows bamboozles Kiwis; India 2-0 up
Talking point: Ravi Bishnoi shines on return
India needed a good spinner in the absence of Washington Sundar, and Ravi Bishnoi raised his hand at the right time. He came into the powerplay and ended with magical figures of 2/18 from his four overs. The leg-spinner can be a regular member of the side if Kuldeep Yadav’s form drops, a headache the management would love to have.
Inspired bowling & fielding from IND restrict NZ to 153/9
New Zealand continued to fumble golden opportunities with the bat. Yet again in the series, they found themselves in early trouble at 34/3 inside the powerplay. However, Tim Seifert and Mark Chapman’s 52-run fourth-wicket stand provided them with vital breathing space. Ultimately, the responsibility fell on their captain, Mitchell Santner, to bail them out.
Santner’s 27 runs in just 17 balls carried the Blackcaps to 153/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Bishnoi shared a combined bowling figure of 5/35 between them. Credit must also go to India’s fielders who complimented their bowler’s efforts with stunning catches and maintained discipline in the field throughout the innings.
Read More: SKY back among runs a good sign for India ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
India take unassailable 3-0 lead
India experienced a nightmarish start with opener Sanju Samson bowing out for a golden duck. But that didn’t hinder their aggressive approach as runs started to flow off the bats of Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma. Their 53-run second-wicket stand in just 19 deliveries took the hosts to 94/2 inside the powerplay. Abhishek notched up his eighth T20I half-century in just 14 deliveries.
Later, Suryakumar Yadav scored his fifty in just 25 balls. His unbeaten partnership with Abhishek (102 runs in 40 balls) saw India complete the chase with 10 overs to spare and eight wickets in hand. With the win, they’ve also taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Statistical highlights from IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I, 2026, in Guwahati
- Harshit Rana has dismissed Devon Conway twice in T20Is at an average of 0.5.
- Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips record New Zealand’s second-best fourth-wicket T20I partnership (52) in India.
- Tim Seifert is New Zealand’s highest run-scorer since the end of the T20 World Cup 2024 with 595 runs.
- Jasprit Bumrah (15) overtakes Hardik Pandya (13) to become India’s leading T20I wicket-taker against New Zealand.
- Jasprit Bumrah records India’s third-best bowling performance (3/17) at home against New Zealand in T20Is.
- Jasprit Bumrah is now India’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 106 scalps.
- Since the beginning of 2025, Sanju Samson has been dismissed against right-arm pacers 11 out of 13 times in T20Is. He averages mere 9.5 for his 104 runs in 84 balls against this type of bowling.
- Abhishek Sharma brought up his fifty in 14 balls. This is now the second-fastest fifty for India in this format behind Yuvraj Singh, who scored a 12-ball fifty against England in the inaugural World T20 in 2007.
- This is the fastest successful chase by a full-member nation of ICC against another full-member nation in T20Is. (Min 150 target)
Read More: Does Ishan Kishan’s incredible show in Raipur & Samson’s failure unbox the opener debate again?
What’s to come
With the series sealed, India may now look to put themselves under pressure by batting first for the last two games. On the other hand, the Kiwis would hope for better results in the remaining games. The fourth T20I is scheduled for January 28 at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
Top Twitter Reactions from IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I, Guwahati, 2025-26
Is there anyone more destructive than Abhishek Sharma in world cricket right now? Absolute carnage. Wow. Just wow. #INDvNZ
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) January 25, 2026
India’s mauling of the New Zealand bowlers gets crazier and more ridiculous with every passing game. Have you seen the Kiwis so hapless and overwhelmed? Wonder what awaits them in the remaining two matches
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 25, 2026
If teams don’t prepare differently against this Indian batting line up, its good night 😴 #INDvsNZ
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 25, 2026
Against India, there’s no such thing as a safe zone,even after a wicket. Fearless approach by Ishan Kishan & Abhishek sharma.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 25, 2026
Is New Zealand this poor in T20s or is it Team India’s much superior quality making them look ordinary? #IndvNZ
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 25, 2026
Bade aaram se 😎 Absolute domination, well played and congratulations Team India 👏 #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/IBRnsiD6lO
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 25, 2026
India's batting unit in T20 is the kind that gives sleepless nights to opposition bowlers. There is a smashing match-winner at every spot. India has an aura, hope this stays all through the World T20. Kaala teeka laga do sub pe.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 25, 2026
Read More: Ahead of T20 World Cup 2026, which are the areas India need to address in T20I series against NZ?
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