Cricket

New Zealand vs India 3rd T20 Preview & Tips – India to surge into 3-0 T20 series lead over New Zealand

By Ben Darvill

3 hours ago

Ben Darvill 3 hours ago

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India lead the five-match T20 series 2-0 with three games to come
Glenn Phillips has scored 82 and 70 for the Black Caps so far
Preview, stats & head to head

Sanju Samson of India (Getty Images)

New Zealand vs India 3rd T20 Preview & Tips
Head To Head
New Zealand Form
India Form

New Zealand vs India 3rd T20 Preview & Tips

New Zealand could not make the most out of more batting heroics from Glenn Phillips in the second T20 as his score of 70 from 43 failed to get the home side beyond the 200-run mark.

India made it home with four wickets and one delivery to spare in the second T20 as they went 2-0 up in the five-match series.

Glenn Phillips has scored 152 runs across the series for the home side
New Zealand have lost four of their last five T20’s (W1)

Head To Head

Across their last 10 T20 meetings, India have won nine times and New Zealand have won once.

New Zealand Form

New Zealand had to really fight for their score of 180/5 in the second T20 as they saw their top three struggle for runs with Tim Seifert (seven), Finn Allen (16) and Daryl Mitchell (six) dismissed cheaply.

Glenn Phillips (70 from 43) continued his excellent form with the bat and was ably assisted by Bevon Jacobs (58 from 46). However, despite scoring 128 runs between them, the duo were not given the sort of support that would allow New Zealand to post a score in excess of 200.

With the ball, New Zealand were excellent. They took regular wickets from the fifth over as Abhishek Sharma’s 27 proved the biggest score for anyone in their top five. However, Tilak Varma’s explosive 51 not out from 26 proved the difference as Mitchell Santner’s own heroics (4/21) proved insufficient.

New Zealand can clearly match India with bat and ball, but getting the better of them has proved difficult. Nine of their last 10 matches against India in the shortest format have ended in defeat and I predict that they will slump to a fifth successive loss at the hands of their opponent.

India Form

India were able to hold their nerve with the bat in the second T20 as they doubled-down on an impressive four-wicket win in the first T20.

The first meeting between the pair saw the sides share in 455 runs. The second T20 was lower scoring but no less entertaining. Set 181 to win, India looked well set at 40 without loss. However, a flurry of wickets saw the touring side slump to 70/5 after 10.5 overs.

They were indebted Tilak Varma (51 not out from 26) and Naman Dhir, who followed up his 42 from 15 in the first T20 with 31 from 17 in the second. Ultimately, India got over the line, but it was not hugely comfortable.

Perhaps that is the measure of this touring side. Even when they are not quite at their explosive best, they are still winning matches. The Black Caps will generally challenge most sides, and while I predict they will give the touring team an issue in the third T20, I am backing India to surge into an unassailable lead.

Verdict

New Zealand v India

I am backing Glenn Phillips to continue to score runs despite ending on the losing side for the third consecutive game.

India

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Phillips 50+ Runs

Batter Milestones

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