India (IND) and New Zealand (NZ) square off in the third T20I at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday, January 25.
Suryakumar Yadav's men are on the brink of another T20I series win. They
have already taken a 2-0 lead after winning the first two matches comprehensively. India will look to wrap up the series on Sunday and use the last two matches to test some combinations which may come in handy during the T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, New Zealand will look to learn from their mistakes in the first two matches and bounce back strongly. The bowling department for the Kiwis has looked ordinary. Also, the batters need to convert their starts into substantial scores.
IND vs NZ Match Details
| Match | India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I, New Zealand tour of India 2026 |
| Date and Time (IST) | Sunday, January 25, 7:00 PM |
| Venue | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati |
| Broadcast and Live-Streaming | JioStar Network Channels and JioHotstar (App & Website) |
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati Pitch Report
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium has produced some excellent batting tracks in recent years. Batters can hit through the line as there is not much seam or swing on offer and the bounce is even. Bowlers will have to be spot on with their planning and execution. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first could be an ideal move on this ground as dew could play a role in the second innings.
IND vs NZ Head to Head T20I Record
| Matches Played | 27 |
| Won by IND | 14 |
| Won by NZ | 10 |
| Tied / No Results | 03 |
| First-ever Fixture | September 16, 2007 (NZ Won) |
| Most-recent Fixture | January 23, 2026 (IND Won) |
IND vs NZ Predicted Playing XIs
India (IND):
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah/Harshit Rana.
New Zealand (NZ):
Tim Seifert (WK), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
IND vs NZ Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav finished 2025 with a paltry average of 13.62. However, he has returned to form in the series against New Zealand. He showed glimpses of his former self during the first T20I, where he scored a 22-ball 32. However, in the second T20I, he came into his element, and slammed a belligerent 82* off 37 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes.
Probable Best Bowler: Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy has taken three wickets in two matches so far at an average of 24. The first two games have been high-scoring but the mystery spinner has been able to maintain a decent economy rate of 9. If there is not too much dew on offer, Chakaravarthy could be quite a handful for the Kiwi batting lineup.
