In short India with ease won back-to-back two T20I matches against New Zealand in Auckland. Having the lead of 2-0 in the five-match T20I series, India will head to play the third match in a bid to win their maiden series on Kiwis shores. While the host New Zeland will have to give tough competition to Virat Kohli-led side to keep themselves alive in the competition.
Date: 29/01/2019, Wednesday
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
New Zealand vs India 2020: Virat Kohli and Co. will play 3rd T20I in Hamilton:
In the five-match T20I series, Men in Blue have got the lead of 2-0 after consecutive victories in Auckland. The host lost the first and second T20I match by six and seven wickets respectively.
In the second T20I match, Indian bowlers created pressure which saw them scoring a modest total of 132 runs.
Now, on Wednesday, the two teams will head to play the third game. Basically, it will be a crucial match for the Black Caps after trailing the series 2-0.
New Zealand vs India 2020: Head to Head
| Team | Total | Won | Lost | No result/Tied |
| New Zealand | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0/0 |
| India | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0/0 |
Weather forecast:
In Hamilton, there are a few showers expected during the day but on match timings, the weather will improve. Thus, spectators might not face many difficulties at Seddon Park. While the temperatures at the time of the game is expected to be around 19°C and 26°C.
Pitch Condition:
It is usually a very good batting track. It could prove tricky to bat last on this pitch as it is a sluggish surface. Unlike many of the grounds in New Zealand, Seddon Park is round and is originally made for cricket. As it is expected that it will rain on Wednesday, the ground has a good drainage system.
India’s Predicted XI:
| Players | Role |
| Rohit Sharma | Opening Batsman |
| KL Rahul(Wk) | Opening Batsman |
| Virat Kohli (c) | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| Shivam Dube | Allrounder |
| Manish Pandey | Batsman |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Allrounder |
| Shardul Thakur | Allrounder |
| Mohammed Shami | Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | Bowler |
New Zealand’s Predicted XI:
| Players | Role |
| Martin Guptill | Opening Batsman |
| Colin Munro | Opening Batsman |
| Kane Williamson(c) | Batsman |
| Ross Taylor | Batsman |
| Tim Seifert | Wk-Batsman |
| Colin de Grandhomme | Allrounder |
| Mitchell Santner | Allrounder |
| Blair Tickner | Bowler |
| Tim Southee | Bowler |
| Hamish Bennett | Bowler |
| Ish Sodhi | Bowler |
New Zealand vs India 2020: 2nd T20I, Auckland – Match Prediction:
We think India will wrap the series in this match. They have been winning the last two matches without major contributions from Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. It is just a matter of time before one of these two batters get a match-winning score and it could well be in this match.
India’s bowling is far superior to New Zealand and its spinners will enjoy the large dimension of the Seddon Park.
Where To Watch:
TV – Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD
Online– Hotstar
Time– 12:20 PM IST