The action has moved into the series-deciding clash, as India (IND) are all in readiness to host New Zealand (NZ) for the third ODI of the ongoing tour on Sunday, January 18
, at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The series is currently level at 1-1, and both sides will look to bag a win in the series finale to have the bragging rights.The Indians won the series opener in a convincing fashion in Vadodara but looked pale in Rajkot. They have been excellent with the bat in the series, but a lot
of things need to be rectified in terms of their bowling practices. With the encounter on Sunday, the hosts are likely to enter with at least one change to bolster their bowling attack. Notably, the Men in Blue have never lost an ODI in Indore and will want to keep the record intact.
New Zealand, on the other hand, started the series with a disappointing outing after a narrow loss in the series opener. The Michael Bracewell-led side, however, returned to full form in the next game and thrashed the Indian team in front of their home crowd, courtesy of a brilliant century by Daryl Mitchell. They will look to upset the hosts by winning the series and spoil the party for the Shubman Gill-led side.
IND vs NZ: Match Details
| Match | India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI, New Zealand tour of India 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Sunday, January 18, 1:30 PM |
| Venue | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore: Pitch Report
The pitch at the Holkar Cricket Stadium has built its reputation on being a haven for batters. Run fest is a common sight at this venue, and a high-scoring thriller is set to be on the cards for the game on Sunday as well. However, the surface has historically shown a tendency to slow down as the match progresses, making it difficult to chase big totals. The crowd at the venue who love to watch a show of raining fours and sixes should be in for a treat.
IND vs NZ: Head-to-Head ODI Record
| Matches Played | 122 |
| Won by IND | 63 |
| Won by NZ | 51 |
| Tied / No Results | 08 |
| First-ever Fixture | June 14, 1975 |
| Most recent Fixture | January 14, 2026 |
IND vs NZ: Predicted Playing XIs
India
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
New Zealand
Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (captain), Mitchell Hay (wicketkeeper), Zak Foulkes, Kristian Clark, Jayden Lennox, Kyle Jamieson
IND vs NZ: Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Shubman Gill
India captain Shubman Gill has been in stellar form in the series. With a couple of half centuries in the series already, the next goal for the attacking opener will be to end with a three-digit score. Gill also boasts an excellent record in ODIs in Indore and will be looking to carry forward the momentum he has and convert it into a fruitful outing.
Probable Best Bowler: Kyle Jamieson
Tall pacer Kyle Jamieson has used his height to excellent effect in the series thus far. In the previous games of the series, Jamieson has picked up five wickets and has been the most successful bowler for the BlackCaps. A lot of bounce will be on offer in Indore, of which the right-arm pacer will look to gain maximum advantage and help his team claim a series win.
