New Zealand vs India: 3 batters to watch in 3rd T20I

The five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand moves to Hnry Stadium, Wellington for the third game on October 27, 2026, with a 12:30 PM IST start. The contest is part of a broader 12-match multi-format tour that also features five ODIs and two Tests.

Shreyas Iyer leads India in the series while Mitchell Santner captains New Zealand. Both sides have produced strong batting performances across the first two matches, and a handful of batters are particularly worth tracking as the series progresses.

Here are three batters to watch out for in 3rd T20I between New Zealand and India:

1. Glenn Phillips

Glenn Phillips has been the standout accumulator with the bat across the opening two T20Is of this series. The New Zealand allrounder has gathered 152 runs in two games, which makes him the highest run-getter of the series so far. He has recorded two fifties in that span, though both innings ended on the losing side for New Zealand. His unbeaten 82 off 40 balls in the 2nd T20I of the current series underlined his ability to score quickly under pressure.

Phillips has a history of performing against India where in the 1st T20I of the January 2026 series in Nagpur, he top-scored for New Zealand with 78 off 40 balls in a losing cause, and in the 3rd T20I of that same series in Guwahati on January 25, 2026, he contributed 48 and shared a 52-run stand with Mark Chapman before being dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi. He will be a key figure for New Zealand at Wellington.

2. Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma has been equally eye-catching at the top of India’s order in this series. The batting allrounder has scored 56 runs across two games and has done so at a strike rate above 165, reflecting the aggressive intent he brings to his innings. His current form is backed by a memorable outing in the 3rd T20I of the January 2026 India-New Zealand series in Guwahati on January 25, 2026, when he struck an unbeaten 68 off just 20 balls.

That knock included a 14-ball fifty featuring five sixes, which was recorded as the second-fastest fifty by an Indian batter in T20I cricket, behind only Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball fifty against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup. Abhishek missed that record by two balls. He will look to continue his aggressive contributions in Wellington.

3. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer, who took over as India’s T20I captain on June 6, 2026, replacing Suryakumar Yadav, has scored 49 runs across two matches in this series. His contribution in the 1st T20I was particularly significant where he played a crucial innings that helped India complete the highest-ever T20I run chase in the country’s history.

Iyer also carries strong recent form from outside this series. On October 6, 2026, he struck an unbeaten 102 against the West Indies in Lucknow, which was his maiden T20I century. As captain and a key middle-order batter, Iyer will be central to India’s batting plans in the 3rd T20I at Wellington.