India vs New Zealand, Highlights, 3rd T20I at Hamilton, Full Cricket Score: Men in Blue win Super Over to clinch series

Most Man of the Match awards in T20Is:‬

‪

12 : Virat Kohli, Mohammad Nabi‬
‪11 : Shahid Afridi ‬
‪10 : ROHIT SHARMA*‬

New Zealand losing three consecutive T20Is at home:‬

‪

2012-2013‬
‪2018‬
‪2020*‬

Virat Kohli: Unbelievable. At one stage, I thought we were gone and out. He was brilliant. Feel bad for him, these kind of knocks when they don’t go through. Shami again showed his experience. Last ball we had a discussion we have to try and hit the stumps. He got the wicket, and the game turned. I think Rohit was outstanding today, the first half and the last two balls. We knew if he gets one hit, the bowler’s under pressure. I thought we were gone at one stage. But in the Super Over, the discussion was around, “New Zealand must be feeling the pressure.” It was such a see-saw game, we didn’t really know what to do of it. We’ll try to definitely, but it’s important to give some game time to the guys who haven’t got a chance so far. We’ll see how that works, but the idea is to win the remaining games.

Kane Williamson, NZ captain: Super overs haven’t been too successfull for us. We probably need to better in regular time. Great game of cricket. India showed experience in those crunch moments. We bowled well after they got off to a superb start. Pretty disappointing. We must take a lot of from this.You still want to be on the right side of the result. Game of small margins. Throughout these three matches you have seen India stand up during those crunch moments. Eden Park wasn’t so bad. We spoke of getting those 10-15 runs more.

Rohit Sharma is the Player of the Match for his 65 and his Super Over heroics!

Rohit Sharma: Never done that before, so I didnt know what to expect, whether to go from the first ball or to take a single. I just wanted to stay still and was waiting for the bowlers to make a mistake. The pitch was good, and I was just waiting for a mistake. Little disappointed with the way I got out, should’ve stayed back a little longer. We knew if we won this game, we’ll will the series, so it was important for three-four members of our squad to step up when it mattered.

Smithy once again making a game of cricket memorable with his voice

“He hits big, he hits too big. He’s done it! Sharma has done it! India are delirious. Unbelievable scenes of joy again and New Zealand have to go down on their knees and suffer once more.” Brilliant call by Ian Smith. #NZvIND

— Andrew Wu (@wutube) January 29, 2020

And we had Ian Smith in the comm box to make it even more special!

That is nuts! 2 last balls off a super over - 2 sixes! Congrats India.

— Elma Smit (@Elmakapelma) January 29, 2020

Summing it up

Jailbreak for India. Heartbreak for New Zealand. #NZvIND

— Snehal Pradhan (@SnehalPradhan) January 29, 2020

WE CAN BARELY BELIEVE WHAT WE JUST WITNESSED!
 

Oh, the Hitman! What a game!

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 29, 2020

Rohit Sharma is the easiest six hitter, most natural six hitter in cricket today. Southee’s margin of error was so small and he erred twice. Two hits and that’s the game. India win the series 3-0. Wow. What a game!

0.6 SIX! India win the Super Over! Rohhhiiitt Sharrrmmaaa has done it! Full ball on stumps and Rohit Sharma gets deep in his crease and the Hitman has send this high and long enough over long off boundary for another six!

Feel for NZ, who lose their third Super Over in less than a year’s time.

Another nerve wracking game of cricket. Great nerves from Rohit to pummel couple of sixes off the final two balls.

India take an 3-0 unassailable lead in the five-match series

0.5 SIX! Rohit gets underneath this full delviery from Southee and clears the long on fence with ease! Big shot at the big moment. 4 needed off 1 ball

0.4 One run, yorker from Southee on middle and leg. Rahul squeezes it out to long on for another single. 10 need off 2 balls.

0.3 FOUR! KLR with some improvisation. Moves across his stumps and sweeps it behind square and in the gap for a crucial boundary. 11 off 3

0.2 One run, Southee bowls it in the blockhole. Full outside off, Rohit swings and takes a single on the leg-side. 15 off 4 balls

0.1 Two runs, Southee bowls length outside off and Rohit Sharma with a big swing across the line, but doesn’t time it right, the bat turns in his hand. KLR wanted just one but Rohit hares back for the second which wasn’t there but a dive and not a great collection from Seifert allows him to make his ground.

16 needed off 5 balls

It is already late in the night in New Zealand but they might as well stay awake for this one. Not that they have seen a lot of them over the last year.

Right then, India need 18 runs to win the Super Over and the series! KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma pad up and are ready to walk out onto the park. Southee to bowl.

Williamson caressing that over and Bumrah has been taken apart tonight. Weird of course but hey Jadeja dropped a catch too. So pretty normal for a weird night. Williamson has scored a 100 runs tonight albeit it doesn’t count as a century. Bottomline now is that India need 18 off 6 for a 3-0 series’ lead.

Kane Williamson’s knock of 95 runs today,

– His highest individual score in T20Is
– Second highest individual score against India in T20Is among New Zealand batsmen
– Third highest individual score by a captain against India in T20Is

Most sixes by captains against India in a T20I match:

7 – Chris Gayle, Bridgetown, 2010
7 – Eoin Morgan, Birmingham, 2014
6 – Shane Watson, Sydney, 2016
6 – Kieron Pollard, Mumbai, 2019
6 – Kane Williamson, Hamilton, 2020*

New Zealand and a thrilling finish? Ian Smith’s always there!

New Zealand, Ian Smith and the super over.......

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 29, 2020

NZ take 17 Runs from the Super Over

0.6 FOUR! Martin Guptill finishes the Super Over with a boundary. Stunning hit! Bumrah once again fails to nail his yorker and the Kiwi opener, clears his front leg out of the way to smash it wide of long on fielder.

0.5 One bye! Short outside off and Williamson goes for the upper cut misses it but runs a bye. There was almost an collision but Rahul misses the stumps

Well it’s not even been a year since THAT Super Over!

Another Super Over involvement for @BLACKCAPS? 😳 https://t.co/VxmyuUdHuI pic.twitter.com/7370ccDJPH

— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) January 29, 2020

0.4 FOUR! What a shot! Full from Bumrah, looking for the block hole but Williamson has lofted it wide of long off fielder for a boundary.

0.3 SIX! Williamson gets the big boundary they were looking for! He walks across his stumps, anticipating the slower ball correctly, and works it over long leg fence for a maximum. Top stuff.

0.2 One run, Full toss outside off, the ball was dipping on Guptill who smacks it down the ground but he doesn’t time it at all…good start from Bumrah.

New Zealand involved in tied T20Is:‬

‪

v West Indies, Auckland, 2006‬
‪v West Indies, Auckland, 2008‬
‪v Australia, Christchurch, 2010‬
‪v Sri Lanka, Pallekele ICS, 2012‬
‪v West Indies, Pallekele ICS, 2012‬
‪v England, Auckland, 2019‬
‪v India, Hamilton, 2020*‬

0.1 One run, full length and angled it on the middle. Williamson swings it across but doesn’t catch it from the middle, only gets a single to deep square leg.

Time for Super Over! Series still in the balance!

Bumrah is trusted to bowl for India. Kane Williamson is back out again, he will be partnering Martin Guptill

When Bumrah couldn’t deliver, Shami emerges the hero!
 

Well done Mohammad Shami. My word, the pressures of finishing the job in sport, even for the best. Goes to show why Ben Stokes chose to first just get bat on ball in the WC Final instead of swinging hard. #NZvIND

— Raunak Kapoor (@RaunakRK) January 29, 2020

Captains dismissed in nervous 90s in T20Is:

Chris Gayle v India, Bridgetown, 2010
Steve Smith v England, Cardiff, 2015
Paul Stirling v Afghanistan, Dehradun, 2019
Eoin Morgan v New Zealand, Napier, 2019
Kane Williamson v India, Hamilton, 2020*

What a mad mad finish to this game. Shami with a wicket on the last ball and well there will be a super over now. It’s in the playing conditions. Well, you cannot blame New Zealand for putting that in, can you? Wow. What a game so far. Williamson was all class and Bumrah took a hit for once. Taylor almost got them home but that near yorker uprooted him. So near, yet so far for the Black Caps and the crowd getting their money’s worth.

Most runs conceded by Jasprit Bumrah in a T20I match:

47 v West Indies, Lauderhill, 2016
45 v New Zealand, Hamilton, 2020*
43 v Australia, Sydney, 2016

What is is with the Black Caps and Super Overs?

OUT! BOWLED! Shami has pulled it off for India! It is a tie! The match will go into the Super Over!

Full and wide from Shami and Taylor goes for a big beefy drive through off side, gets a thick inside onto his stumps. What.A.Turnaround! What.A.Game! Scenes in the Indian camp. Big celebrations as all surround Shami.

Ross Taylor b Shami 17(10)

19.5 One bye! Taylor makes his ground! Similar line and length from Shami, Seifert once again looks to ramp it over third man…misses. But he runs to steal a bye. Rahul underarms a throw, misses… 1 needed off 1 ball.

19.4 No run! Short of a length outside off and Seifert misses to connect… 2 off 3 pressure.

19.3 OUT! Williamson gone! Short ball outside off, KW goes for an upper cut and he edges it to Rahul. Agony for NZ captain he falls for 95. What a wonderful innings…

Williamson c Rahul b Shami 95(48)

19.2 One run! Gets the yorker right this time! Taylor jams it out to long on for a single. 2 off 5 need.

19.1 SIX! That should be the game for NZ! Ross Taylor sends a low full toss over mid wicket boundary. Shami misses the yorker and Taylor with a pressure releasing shot early in the over.

After 19 overs,New Zealand 171/4 ( Kane Williamson (C) 95 , Ross Taylor 10)

World’s best death bowler, Bumrah, has had an off day but credit to Williamson as well. New Zealand take 11 runs from the over, Taylor took some pressure off with a boundary early in the over. NZ need 9 runs off 6 balls.

FOUR! Game of small margins and Bumrah comes second by missing the line of his yorker by just a couple of inces. KW shuffles across his stumps anticipating a yorker and he nudges it fine leg fence.

FOUR! Length ball again from Bumrah and this time Taylor is ready to take the toll! Angled into middle stump and Taylor flicks it in the midwicket gap for a boundary. NZ favourites now…

After 18 overs,New Zealand 160/4 ( Kane Williamson (C) 90 , Ross Taylor 4)

Yuzi Chahal has done more than what was expected off him. He varied his pace, length and line beautifully and makes sure he doesn’t concede a boundary but KW and Taylor to restore some sort of parity by running quick singles and twos, to collect nine runs from the over. NZ need 20 runs off 12 balls. Bumrah to bowl the penultimate over…

After 17 overs,New Zealand 151/4 ( Kane Williamson (C) 85 , Ross Taylor 0)

Kane Williamson has had the better of Bumrah in the 17th over of the match that has tilted the balance significantly in NZ’s favour, yet not completely out of India’s reach. KW playing one of his best T20I innings. Bumrah lands the yorker only after he is been hit for three boundaries. An overthrow gives Kiwis an extra run, they need 29 runs off 18 balls.

FOUR! Three in a row! Bumrah is been taken to the cleaners by Williamson! Where is the yorker?! Full ball outside off and KW hits it over covers, couple of bounces and over the fence.

FOUR! Consecutive boundaries. Bumrah under the pump. Kane Williamson looking really good. Picks his spot once again. Was the slower ball from Bumrah. Williamson moves across his stumps and flicks it to deep mid wicket fence. No man positioned there

FOUR! Bumrah deliveries a slower ball outside off, and Williamson drives it in the air, beats the deep point fielder to his right and earns four vital runs.

It’s New Zealand’s game to lose after the flurry of boundaries in Bumrah’s over!

Williamson taking on Bumrah.

That was the game. Will need something really great to win from here.

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) January 29, 2020

After 16 overs,New Zealand 137/4 ( Kane Williamson (C) 71 , )
 

Thakur makes a great comeback after being hit for a six off the first ball and then after giving away just three singles off the next three balls he manages to pick the wicket of De Grandhomme.

What a knock from the Black Caps captain!

Every now and then Kane just comes out with an absolute masterclass. Tonight is one of those nights 👏

— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) January 29, 2020

OUT! Thakur puts CdG out of his misery. Full and wide delivery, De Grandhomme stretches and gets a thick outside edge to short third man. Thakur is happy and why not! NZ in trouble.

de Grandhomme c Shivam Dube b SN Thakur 5(12)

Is that a timely wicket for India or New Zealand? Grandhomme isn’t in the best of touches, but Ross Taylor just might be. Bumrah holds the aces for India as usual. Intriguing passage of play here.

SIX! This is incredible shot from KW! Length ball on stumps, and Williamson, who was backing away to the leg side, presents a straight bat to loft it over long off. Super stuff this is!

After 15 overs,New Zealand 128/3 ( Kane Williamson (C) 63 , Colin de Grandhomme 4)

Williamson leaves behind an absolute jaffa from Jadeja to whack a couple of sixes to keep Kiwis in the hunt. Jadeja bowled superbly through his spell and even with a 14-run over, he finishes with figures of 4-0-23-1. He could have had three or even four today.

SIX! Wow! The previous shot, made Jadeja change his length, he drops it short and Williamson is quick to jump on the backfoot and pull it over mid wicket fence for a maximum. Successive sixes for NZ!

SIX! Excellent batting from the New Zealand skipper. He has no choice but to go after Jadeja. What he did well is, he flat batted straight down the ground. It hits the ropes on the full.

After 14 overs,New Zealand 114/3 ( Kane Williamson (C) 50 , Colin de Grandhomme 3)

Kane Williamson with a fighting fifty for New Zealand. The captain is leading the way and he is in deseparate need of some support. NZ garner 14 runs off Shami’s over thanks to a six and a boundary off Williamson’s bat.

Williamson getting it on today. 28-ball half-century. His placement and manoeuvring of the field has been brilliant to watch. Your typical placement guy who doesn’t do power hitting and yet gets the job done.

FIFTY! Slower short ball and Williamson seems to have picked it. He swivels and pulls it to backward square leg boundary. Finds the gap expertly and with that boundary he brings up his half-century.

SIX! Kane Williamson goes after a short and wide delivery. He does get underneath the ball and he manages to slice over wide third man boundary. Shami’s pace allows the ball to fly over the fence with relative ease.

After 13 overs,New Zealand 100/3 ( Kane Williamson (C) 37 , Colin de Grandhomme 2)

The required rate is creeping towards 12 runs an over. CdG clearly seems to have little clue of Chahal’s leg breaks and googlies. A six by Williamson comes at a crucial time for the Kiwis to stay in the contest.

SIX! Williamson connects well. He lunges forward into the sweep and clears the fence over deep mid-wicket. NZ need more of these

After 12 overs,New Zealand 91/3 ( Kane Williamson (C) 29 , Colin de Grandhomme 1)

Kane Williamson survives by the skin of his teeth. Just got his foot behind the line as a stumping inquiry is sent upstairs but some part of his boot was behind the line. Another excellent over from Jadeja, giving away only three runs.

After 11 overs,New Zealand 88/3 ( Kane Williamson (C) 27 , Colin de Grandhomme 0)

Couple of misfields result in two boundaries before Santner is dismissed. CdG comes in and even though not in the most convincing manner, he does keep out two deliveries from Chahal. He is key for NZ’s fortunes in this game but he will have to see off the spinners first.

Shivam Dube particularly has been struggling today
 

Fielding has been really ordinary today.....

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 29, 2020

OUT! Chahal has a reason to smile, eventually. He gets one through the defences of Santner. Slightly quicker through the air and flatter delivery. Santner misses, Chahal hits. The experiment to promote Santner fails.

Santner b Chahal 9(11)

Did you know?

New Zealand lost one T20I match while chasing at Seddon Park, Hamilton out of four matches before today. Their defeat came against England in 2018.

FOUR! More poor fielding. This time from Dube! Williamson flicks it wide of long on where Dube runs around to get to the ball and slides to save a couple of runs but doesn’t gather it cleanly. He hits the ground in frustation. Another boundary for Williamson.

FOUR! Chahal drops it short and KW crouches and pulls strongly to deep square leg. Shami overruns the ball and concedes a boundary.

After 10 overs,New Zealand 79/2 ( Kane Williamson (C) 18 , Mitchell Santner 9)

Ravindra Jadeja drops a sitter especially by his grand standards it was simple catch that he put down. Jasprit Bumrah, who wears a huge smile after the chance that went down, induced a leading edge from Santer with a well-disguised slower off-cutter but Jadeja running back, reverse cups at the ball which pops out of his palms. Williamson collects a lovely boundary for himself in the over. NZ need 100 off the last 10 overs.

Quinton de Kock can attest to that!

Bumrah's smile after a teammate drops a catch off his bowling is among the best things on a cricket field now. #NZvsIND

— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) January 29, 2020

FOUR! This is peak Williamson! Angled in delivery by Bumrah which is back of a length and Williamson lets the ball climb and then just steers it towards third man fence.

After 9 overs,New Zealand 72/2 ( Kane Williamson (C) 12 , Mitchell Santner 8)

Neat stuff from Ravindra Jadeja. Santner and Williamson too realise, he isn’t the bowler to go after and so they respectfully nudge five singles off the over.

After 8 overs,New Zealand 67/2 ( Kane Williamson (C) 9 , Mitchell Santner 7)

New Zealand target India’s sixth bowler: Shivam Dube. Santner pulls a boundary before Williamson picks a six for himself. As many as 14 runs taken from Dube’s over.

Double wicket blow and New Zealand have lost all momentum. Mirroring Indian innings completely, even with Santner promoted, except NZ have fallen behind on the run-rate. Need a major partnership here. Not sure Williamson-Santner will do that.

SIX! KW gets himself going with a six. Williamson shuffles across his crease and just helps the ball with a little scoop over shortish boundary over fine leg.

FOUR! Dube drops it short and Santner takes it on. He packs some power in his pull shot to mid wicket boundary.

After 7 overs,New Zealand 53/2 ( Kane Williamson (C) 1 , Mitchell Santner 1)

Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack and make things happen off the surface. We saw a few deliveries gripping and turning in the first innings when Santner was bowling, Jadeja seems to be getting a little more purchase than his counterpart. Meanwhile Santner has been sent in to bat, with the idea of taking on the left-arm spin of Jadeja. Great start for Jadeja, just two runs and a wicket

OUT! Another one! Ravindra Jadeja strikes off his second ball. Munro comes down the pitch to take on the left-arm spinner. He misses his wild slog off a length ball. KL Rahul had all the time to remove the bails. Kiwi lose their openers in quick succession.

Munro st Rahul b Jadeja 14(16)

Powerplay comparison:

India : 69/0 (RR – 11.50)
New Zealand : 51/1 (RR – 8.50)

India scored 110 runs while losing five wickets outside powerplay at the rate of 7.86.

New Zealand opening stands this series:

1st T20I – 80, Auckland
2nd T20I – 48, Auckland
3rd T20I – 47, Hamilton

After 6 overs,New Zealand 51/1 ( Colin Munro 14 , Kane Williamson (C) 0)

Thakur must thank his stars for the wicket he has snuffed out in this over. KL Rahul fails to collect the ball cleaning behind the stumps to give away four byes that takes NZ past the 50-run mark in the powerplay. Kane Williamson comes out to bat after Guptill’s fall.

OUT! Another flith of a delivery from Thakur but Guptill has turned it into a wicket-taking ball as the Kiwi opener thrashes a short and wide delivery straight to deep point, where substitute fielder Sanju Samson is positioned. He takes a very good low catch and he is delighted. India has their first wicket.

Guptill c (sub)Samson b SN Thakur 31(21)

FOUR! That’s a downright poor delivery from Thakur. His slower ball bouncer doesn’t come off right, instead it serves up a nice chance for Guptill to swat it away to mid wicket fence.

After 5 overs,New Zealand 43/0 ( Martin Guptill 27 , Colin Munro 14)

Yuzvendra Chahal is brought into the attack. He does concede two boundaries in the over but the leggie did create a couple of chances as well, on another day, he could have had two wickets to his name instead of ten runs he gave away in his over.

FOUR! Guptill looks to punch off the backfoot through covers but his hard hands and with the turn of the leg break, he gets a thick outside edge. Kohli is present at first slip, he reaches his right hand out, but the ball is out of his grasp. No chance for the fielder at backward point to stop the ball from running away to the fence.

FOUR! Munro is quickly onto his knees to play the sweep. The ball is also floated on the leg stump, allowing Munro to just work it around. He finds the gap to the right of short fine leg fielder.

Did you know?

Virat Kohli went past MS Dhoni’s tally of 1,112 runs to become the highest run-getter in T20Is among Indian captains earlier today

After 4 overs,New Zealand 33/0 ( Martin Guptill 22 , Colin Munro 10)

Munro slices a boundary to third man early in the over before he’s hit in  midriff bringing the medics out onto the field. After a brief hold up, he is okay to continue, seven runs came from the over.

FOUR! That’s not exactly where Munro intended but does procure the desired result! Goes after a full delivery that is slanted across. Gets a thick outside edgeeeeee that goes over the short third man and runs away to the boundary.

After 3 overs,New Zealand 26/0 ( Martin Guptill 21 , Colin Munro 5)

Interesting tactics from India. Jasprit Bumrah is brought into the attack for the third over. Couple of sixes in the over from Guptill, one that had a significant element of risk, while the other was well in control. NZ take 13 runs off Bumrah’s first.

SIX! This time, no chance for any fielder! Once again short of a length delivery directed over the middle stump, Guptill arches his back and ramps it over wicketkeeper’s head for a maximum. Super stroke!

New Zealand openers on the same track as the Indian openers. Atleast Guptill is. Using the hard new ball and bounce it is generating for cuts and ramp shots. And that straight six was gorgeous too. Kiwis off to a flyer as well.

SIX! Guptill creates room and flat-bats a short of a length delivery, outside off to the third man boundary and is jussssttt evades Shami. He leaps and sticks out a hand but is inching away from touching the ball. Bumrah thought he had his man. The ball lands full on the advertising skirtings

After 2 overs,New Zealand 13/0 ( Martin Guptill 9 , Colin Munro 4)

Mohammed Shami will share the new ball with Thakur. A wide slip for Munro in place. Starting with Thakur and Shami is a tactical move from India. Kohli is holding his trump card close to himself. Chasing 180 to win, Bumrah can be best used during the backend. He is ready to take the punt in the powerplay. So Shami and Thakur have their work cut out with regards to not let the Kiwi openers off to a rapid start. Tidy stuff from Shami, only five runs from his over.

Kaif certainly retains his sense of optimism

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma threatened to take India beyond 200 at one stage, but New Zealand pulled things back really well! Still reckon 180 would take some chasing especially against India’s bowling arsenal.#NZvIND

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 29, 2020

After 1 overs,New Zealand 8/0 ( Martin Guptill 7 , Colin Munro 1)

Guptill uses the first ball that shaped away as a sighter before coming down the pitch and sending the ball way over the sight screen. Munro, in contrast, got off the mark with a single. Eight runs came from Thakur’s first over.

SIX! Wallop! Guptill shimmes down the ground to Thakur and launches it straight and high. The ball goes over the sight screen for a six

Here come the Kiwi openers – Colin Munro and Martin Guptill. New Zealand will be chasing for the first time in the series and they will be up against Jasprit Bumrah and Co.

First up it is Shardul Thakur. One wide slip in place.

So India lose the momentum they had generated and as mentioned previously are just in touching distance of 170-180. Kohli’s dismissal didn’t help but feel Iyer’s wicket was the real turning point. He has this uncanny ability to smack sixes, a bit like Rohit, but well, India’s experimentation hasn’t worked today. Won’t matter if India manage to defend this of course.

After 20 overs,India 179/5 ( Manish Pandey 14 , Ravindra Jadeja 10)

Southee starts off with a knuckle ball to Jadeja that only fetches him a single. Pandey however, instantly puts him under pressure with a massive hit over long on off the second delivery, Southee then following it up with a wide outside off. Pandey’s content with a single off the third legal delivery after steering it to deep point. Santner, who had been fielding so well until so far today, spills a chance at deep midwicket in the fourth delivery after Jadeja skies the ball off a mistimed pull. Jadeja slaps the ball over wide long off for a maximum off the penultimate delivery, before setting off for the non-striker’s end off the last ball despite missing leather completely, resulting in a bye off the last ball. 18 runs leaked by Southee in the last over to go with the dropped catch, and India will be pleased with the finish — especially considering the compete lockdown enforced by the Black Caps in the middle overs after the fall of three wickets in quick succession.

The Black Caps need 180 runs to win at nine an over if they are to keep the five-match T20I series alive!

SIX! Jadeja makes room for himself, and slaps the ball over wide long off to collect a maximum off the penultimate delivery! IND 178/5

SIX! Smoked over long on! As majestic a hit as it can get from Pandey! IND 168/5

After 19 overs,India 161/5 ( Manish Pandey 7 , Ravindra Jadeja 1)

Bennett is entrusted with the penultimate over. He starts off with a boundary, as Pandey crunches the ball through the gap between extra cover and mid off. Kohli pulls towards cow corner on each of the third and fourth deliveries, Santner putting in a dive in the deep to save a couple of runs for the Black Caps on each occasion. Kohli’s stay at the crease, however, comes to an end after he holes out straight to Southee at extra cover to depart for 38. Sir Jadeja walks out to bat, and gets off the mark with a single off the last delivery. Bennett signs off with 3/54, with India just having one over left in their innings to make the most of.

OUT! Kohli departs for 38, holing out straight to Southee at extra cover while looking for a boundary! IND 160/5

Kohli c Southee b Bennett 38(27)

FOUR! Pandey crunches this between mid off and extra cover, beating the man running to his left from long off. IND 155/4

After 18 overs,India 151/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 34 , Manish Pandey 2)

Southee returns to the attack now, with Kohli collecting a a double off the first delivery, followed by a single off the next two. Kohli pulls towards deep midwicket off the fourth delivery, a slight misfield in the deep allowing him to stroll back for a second. Three runs off the last two balls, including a wide, as the Indians breach the 150-run mark with two overs to spare.

After 17 overs,India 142/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 28 , )

Iyer goes on the offensive early Santner’s final over, going big over long off for a maximum off the second delivery, but perishes when attempting a similar shot off the last ball to get stumped by Seifert. Santner finishes with figures of 1/37 at the end of his spell, collecting a wicket off his last ball of the day.

OUT! Santner strikes! Iyer was going for another inside-out shot, but got beaten by the extra turn and ended up losing his balance to find himself outside the crease at the time of Seifert whipping the bails off. IND 142/4

Iyer st Seifert b Santner 17(16)

SIX! Shreyas Iyer finally latches one to one to make it sail over the fence, going for an inside-out loft over long off to collect his first maximum of the evening! IND 138/3

After 16 overs,India 131/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 26 , Shreyas Iyer 8)

Sodhi concedes just four singles from his final over to exhaust his quota of overs with figures of 0/23. Didn’t get rewarded with a wicket against his name, but has been able to keep the batters under chedck with his economical bowling. Meanwhile, it’s all or nothing for the Indian batsmen now, with four overs left in their innings and the par score still some distance away.

After 15 overs,India 127/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 24 , Shreyas Iyer 6)

Couple of quick singles collected on either side of the six to Virat Kohli off the second delivery — smashed inside out over extra cover. Kohli piles further misery on the bowler by slapping a juicy full toss towards the midwicket fence to end the over with a boundary. Partnership worth 31 now, with the pair having recovered well after losing three quick wickets at one stage.

FOUR! Loopy full toss from Santner, and Kohli slaps this towards the extra cover fence, where it crashes against the advertising cushion with two fielders convering in. IND 127/3

So, a flurry of quick wickets and India’s run-rate has come down. The Dube experiment didn’t seem to work because he didn’t move well against the medium pacers. India now trying to rebuild the old style with Kohli and Iyer. That experiment and slew of wickets might see them end up with 180.

SIX! Inside out over extra cover, and Kohli collects his first six of the evening off Santner! IND 121/3

After 14 overs,India 114/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 13 , Shreyas Iyer 4)

Kohli sweeps the all towards the fine leg fence off the first delivery of the over to ease some of the pressure off their backs. Sodhi, however, keeps it tidy for the remainder of the over, giving away just two singles and a brace off the last delivery.

FOUR! Kohli gets a full delivery outside leg from Sodhi, and sweeps this towards the fine leg fence to collect a much-needed boundary that should boost their morale after a couple of slow overs. IND 110/3

After 13 overs,India 106/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 6 , Shreyas Iyer 3)

Seven off de Grandhomme’s second over of the evening, including a brace to Kohli off the third delivery towards deep extra cover where Taylor slides in to cut the ball off. New Zealand’s have maintained their discipline on the field to make up for their loose bowling, and that shows.

After 12 overs,India 99/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 2 , Shreyas Iyer 1)

Williamson brings Sodhi into play now with two new batsmen at the crease at the moment. Both Kohli and Iyer are taking their time to find their feet at the moment, and the travelling fans would be hoping for the pair to commence a counter-attack in a couple of overs’ time. Three runs from this over.

After 11 overs,India 96/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 0 , )

Turns out Kane Williamson’s a forgiving man after all, giving Bennett a shot at redemption after a disastrous over. Turns out to be a much better one from the seamer who’s playing only his third T20I — not only does he concede just four runs from it, he dismisses both Rohit and Dube inside three deliveries to put the visitors in a spot of bother. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer out at the middle now, both yet to face a delivery.

OUT! Two wickets off three deliveries for Bennett — what a comeback for the bowler who went for 27 runs in the previous over! Dube slashes the ball hard, directing it towards the wide third man, where it goes straight into Sodhi’s hands. IND 96/3

Dube c Sodhi b Bennett 3(7)

OUT! Bennett gets Rohit after all! Rohit attempted to slog a wide knuckle ball from the right-arm seamer down the ground, but got no timing on it. Skies the ball towards long on, where it settles between Southee’s palms. IND 94/2

Rohit c Southee b Bennett 65(40)

After 10 overs,India 92/1 ( Rohit Sharma 64 , Shivam Dube 0)

Well, well, well… Shivam Dube walks out at No 3 today! And there were some of us not expecting any experimentation on the part of the Men in Blue given until their quest to clinch the series had been fulfilled. Also, Kuggeleijn returns to the attack in the 10th over and maintains his discipline, giving away just three runs from the over against the run of play. India still motoring along at more than 10 an over at the halfway stage in their innings.

Highest stands for India against New Zealand in T20Is:

158 : Shikhar Dhawan/Rohit Sharma, Delhi, 2017
99 : Virat Kohli/KL Rahul, Auckland, 2020
89 : KL Rahul/Rohit Sharma, Hamilton, 2020*

You would think that’s a failure for Rahul considering the form he has been in. But you cannot do it all everyday. Dube at number three. That’s interesting. Not sure he has the game for this position or situation. There’s a lot of time. Iyer or Pandey would have been a better bet.

Fastest fifties for Rohit Sharma in T20Is: (Balls faced)

22 v West Indies, Lauderhill, 2016
23 v Bangladesh, Rajkot, 2019
23 v West Indies, Mumbai, 2019
23 v New Zealand, Hamilton, 2020*

After 9 overs,India 89/1 ( Rohit Sharma 62 , )

Time for CDG to exhibit his magic with his military medium pace. Rohit collects another boundary for himself to move into the 60s by guiding the ball wide of the man inside the circle to find the third man fence off the third delivery. De Grandhomme, however, does the job for skipper Williamson, the job of getting the elusive breakthrough as Rahul holes out to Munro standing at backward point to depart for 27. Seven runs and a wicket from an eventful first over from de Grandhomme.

OUT! Rahul gets dismissed by an awkward-looking shot, attempting to cut a ball that was climbing at an uncomfortable height for the batsman with little room to offer. Rahul went for the cut, but hardly got any timing on it and send it straight into the hands of Munro standing square. IND 89/1

Rahul c Munro b de Grandhomme 27(19)

FOUR! Slashed away towards the third man fence by Rohit off de Grandhomme, placing the ball wide of the man inside the circle with the outfield doing the rest. IND 88/0

After 8 overs,India 82/0 ( Rohit Sharma 56 , KL Rahul (W) 26)

So spin from both ends it is, as Santner is deployed from the end where Bennett leaked 27 runs in his last over. Rohit slog sweeps the ball towards deep backward square leg off the second delivery, the ball landing just short of a diving Taylor to give the batsman another lifeline (after the edge through the vacant slip region). Overall, a much tidier over from the left-arm spinner, conceding five from the eighth.

Indian openers with 10,000-plus international runs:

Virender Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar
Sunil Gavaskar
Rohit Sharma*

Rohit smashes 23-ball 50 with three sixes and calls for a bat change. You would think that bat was doing fine enough. And imagine getting an improvement on that willow. New Zealand are in for a crazy leather hunt here. India steaming into the 70s already.

After 7 overs,India 77/0 ( Rohit Sharma 52 , KL Rahul (W) 25)

Ish Sodhi brought into the attack now as the field spreads out (will KW go for spin from both ends now?) and the wrist-spinner starts off well, conceding four singles off the first five deliveries before Rahul decides to pummel the ball down the ground to make a statement, collecting a boundary off the last ball.

FOUR! Stand-and-deliver from KL Rahul, smashing the ball over the bowler’s head to make a statement! IND 77/0

After 6 overs,India 69/0 ( Rohit Sharma 50 , KL Rahul (W) 19)

Bennett back in place of Kuggeleijn after a solitary over to the latter, and he ends up leaking 27 runs from an over that not only should be reason enough for Williamson to take him off the attack for now, but might even lead to another member of the squad getting a callup into the XI next game. Rohit Sharma smashes two consecutive fours and three majestic sixes to complete the fifty-run stand as well as his 20th T20I half-century. What a start for the Men in Blue, smashing 69 runs from the powerplay!

SIX! Rohit Sharma brings up his half-century off just 23 deliveries, completing the milestone with a maximum straight down the ground, the ball just about clearing the fence! IND 69/0

FOUR! 6,6,4,4 now! This one’s fuller from Bennett, and Rohit steers it past the man at backward point to make it two fours in a row in addition to the back-to-back sixes! IND 63/0

FOUR! 16 runs collected from the last three deliveries alone — this one racing away to the backward point fence after another ferocious cut from Rohit! IND 59/0

SIX! Even more gorgeous! Rohit lofts this over long off for back-to-back maximums to bring up the fifty-partnership with fellow opener KL Rahul! IND 55/0

SIX! As majestic a Rohit pull as it can get, this one disappearing among the crowd beyond the square-leg fence! IND 49/0

After 5 overs,India 42/0 ( Rohit Sharma 24 , KL Rahul (W) 18)

Spin brought into play in the penultimate over of the powerplay, with Mitchell Santner getting an over, and he starts off with a boundary off his first delivery of the evening — Rohit cutting the ball square to collect his third four. Santner however follows it up with a delivery that narrowly beats his outside edge, and keeps the two batsmen to singles for the remainder of the over, which adds 8 to the Indian total.

FOUR! Santner’s first delivery of the evening goes for a boundary! Rohit cuts this square through the off side, timing this perfectly to make it a vain chase for any of the fielders. IND 38/0

After 4 overs,India 34/0 ( Rohit Sharma 18 , KL Rahul (W) 16)

Kuggeleijn’s brought into the attack in the fourth over, and he creates a chance right away — one that goes begging thanks to the absence of fielders, as Rohit edges the ball through the vacant slip cordon to collect his second boundary of the day off the day. Eight from the over.

FOUR! Excellent delivery from Kuggeleijn, that one had Rohit all squared up resulting in an edge — which ends up running all the way to the third man fence instead of landing in the palms of a fielder thanks to the absence of any slip fielders. IND 32/0

Quick start for India here. Rohit took his time but Rahul on the money straightaway. Lot of top edged cuts and ramp shots thus far. Extra bounce in the pitch and the batsmen are making use of it. New Zealand searching desperately for a wicket.

After 3 overs,India 26/0 ( Rohit Sharma 12 , KL Rahul (W) 14)

Southee concedes twice as many runs as he did in the first over of the day — this time Rohit and Rahul spending a fair amount of time running between the wickets to pick the ones and twos in addition to the solitary boundary — off an uppercut over the keeper’s head by Rahul. Nine from the over.

FOUR! Rahul’s cramped for room with a short ball from Southee that’s angling into his helmet, but he arches back and goes for the uppercut — timing the shot perfectly to collect his first four. IND 25/0

After 2 overs,India 17/0 ( Rohit Sharma 9 , KL Rahul (W) 8)

Rahul on strike for the first time in this over, with Hamish Bennett sharing the new ball with Southee from the other end, and gets off the mark with a single off the first ball. Rohit gets squared up by a rising delivery, but manages to deflect it towards backward point for a single. Rahul collects the first six of the innings by scything a back-of-length delivery outside off that sends the ball flying over the wide third man fence. Rohit attempts a couple of lofted shots off the last two deliveries, sending the ball in opposite directions, but is only able to collect a brace on each occasion thanks to the tight fielding by the Black Caps.

DID YOU KNOW?

The batting strike rate of 142.11 at Seddon Park, Hamilton in T20Is is the highest among all the venues where at least 2000 balls have been bowled so far.

SIX! Short of length from Bennett and outside off, Rahul slashes this over the wide third man fence for the first maximum of the innings. IND 12/0

After 1 over,India 4/0 ( Rohit Sharma 4 , KL Rahul (W) 0)

Four runs collected from the first over bowled by Southee, with Rohit cutting the ball behind point off the third delivery to get off the mark.

KL Rahul’s last five T20I innings:
57*, 56, 55, 45, 91

He will be the first Indian to score four consecutive fifty-plus scores in T20Is if he scores another fifty today.

FOUR! Another lovely start to a Rohit Sharma innings — cutting a wide delivery from Southee to send it past the man at backward point. IND 4/0

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul walk out to open the innings with Tim Southee opening the bowling for the Black Caps as usual. Rohit so far has misfired in the first two games. Can he get a big score today? Let’s find out.

New Zealand have won seven of the nine T20Is that they have played at Seddon Park, Hamilton.

India lost each of the T20I series that they played against New Zealand in New Zealand.

The average first innings score at Seddon Park, Hamilton is 172.

So third toss win in a row for New Zealand and for a change, both things wanted to do the same thing. New Zealand opt to field first and have made one change with Blair Tickner going out and Scott Kuggeleijn coming in. Like for like change that.

India are unchanged. Had a feeling they might go in for Kuldeep Yadav in place of either Chahal or Jadeja, given the change in ground dimensions. But clearly India don’t want to change a winning combination and are focussed on wrapping up the series.

Teams:

IND: Rohit, Rahul, Kohli (c), Iyer, Dube, Pandey, Jadeja, Thakur, Chahal, Shami, Bumrah

NZ: Guptill, Munro, Williamson (c), de Grandhomme, Taylor, Seifert, Santner, Southee, Sodhi, Kuggeleijn, Bennett

Virat Kohli: I reckon. Playing on this surface for the first time in a long time. Should be a pretty good track to bat on. We’re 2-0 up, and it’s time to put in a clinical performance again. Not worry about too many things — conditions and jet lag. We’re playing an unchanged team again.

Kane Williamson: New surface, and hopefully we get something first up with the ball in our hand. One change: Kuggeleijn comes in for Tickner. Similar skills sets in terms of bowling the heavy, hard ball.

TOSS: New Zealand win the toss, and skipper Kane Williamson opts to bowl first.

Hamilton. Seddon Park. And we have a regular sized cricket ground. Still smaller than certain grounds across the world, but hey, this is as good as the Chinnaswamy. 

Hellos from the third T20I between India and New Zealand. The Men in Blue have a real chance of sealing their first T20 series win in this country. They have tried twice in 2009 and then in 2019, and failed on both occasions. This time around they have three matches to get the job done, but they would like to close it today and think about some experimentation in the remaining games.

We are moments away from toss. While you wait, let Chahal give you a sneak peek of the Team India’s bus tour. 

CHAHAL TV📽️: A sneak peek of the bus journey with @yuzi_chahal when #TeamIndia got on the road to Hamilton 🚌🚌 pic.twitter.com/rmH96Z0VHQ

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 28, 2020

News from upcoming ODI series: Kiwi fast bowler Kyle Jamieson is likely to make his debut for New Zealand during the three-match series against India beginning in Hamilton on 5 February. The 25-year-old, who has impressed with six wickets during the one-day series against India A, was left out of New Zealand A’s squad for the upcoming first unofficial Test at Christchurch, keeping in mind the upcoming ODIs against India.

Rishabh Pant has lost his place in the India T20I side to KL Rahul but his IPL franchise coach Ricky Ponting is confident that the dasher from Delhi will soon be back in India’s XI. 

“Rishabh Pant is a young man with a huge amount of talent. I’m looking forward to working with him again during the IPL and I’m sure he’ll be back in the Indian team sooner rather than later,” Ponting said on Twitter.

Hamilton weather report: We don’t want weather to play spoilsport in such a crucial match and the good news is that while there’s prediction for rain today in Hamilton, skies are expected to clear up in the evening at the time of the match. Click here to read the full weather report.

Every T20I series is a ‘practice’ for the upcoming T20I World Cup and India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour has said that team management has already identified the core of players for the T20 World Cup in October-November.

“Adjustments will keep going on till the last minute. But as far as I am concerned and the team management is concerned, we have the core. We know what our team is going to be. Unless there is a case of injury or really bad loss in form, I don’t see many changes happening,” said Rathour.

With India 2-0 up in the series, the visiting side have history in sight but for New Zealand it’s a do-or-die situation. They need a victory today to keep the series alive. With so much at stake, we are confident of a nail-bitter coming our way. Here’s the preview of the match.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 3rd T20I between India and New Zealand. Visitors are already 2-0 up in the five-match series and Virat Kohli and Co will aim today to become the first Indian side to win a T20I series in New Zealand.