India beat New Zealand by six wickets with 40 balls remaining in the third T20I at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on 27 October 2026. Abhishek Sharma was named player of the match after smashing 113 off 38 balls, with nine fours and 11 sixes, as India chased 199 in 13.2 overs.
How It Unfolded
India won the toss and chose to field first. New Zealand posted 198/3, built around Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten 89 off 52 balls, which included five fours and five sixes. Finn Allen hit five sixes in 40 off 25 balls and Bevon Jacobs added 39 not out off 23 balls. Arshdeep Singh (1/33), Axar Patel (1/36) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/38) took a wicket each, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 40 in his four overs.
The chase was over almost before it began. Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made 45 off 19 balls with four fours and four sixes, tore into the attack. Sanju Samson added 18 off 13 balls and Shreyas Iyer made 5, before Naman Dhir hit his only ball for four to finish on 4 not out alongside Tilak Varma (1 not out). India reached 199/4. Kyle Jamieson took 2/45, and Mitchell Santner (1/17) and Matthew Fisher (1/23) took one each.
The Oracle's Call
The CricMind Oracle locked India as clear favourites before the toss, at 78% to New Zealand's 22%, and the call was correct. India came in rated first in the world with five straight wins, while New Zealand had lost four of their last five. See the full Oracle call for the factors behind it.
What's Next
India lead the series 3-0 after a four-wicket win with two balls to spare in the first T20I and another four-wicket win with one ball left in the second. By the CricMind Oracle's numbers, built from each remaining match's call, India are now 89% to win the series with five to play. Follow every result on the India tour of New Zealand 2026/27 hub.
Source: Scorecard and the Oracle call.