India lead New Zealand 2-0 ahead of third T20 in Wellington, hosts must win to stay in series

The third match of the five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand will be played today at Henry Stadium in Wellington. India lead the series 2-0 after winning two matches in a row.

For hosts New Zealand, the situation is that they must win today at any cost if they are to stay in the series. Both teams are desperate for a win.

The Indian side, captained by Shreyas Iyer, wants to continue its winning run in Wellington as well. It is trying to take a strong 3-0 lead in the series.

On the weather and the pitch: the day before the match, wind speeds in Wellington reached up to 55 km/h. The wind is expected to ease a little on match day, but its effect will still be felt.

Light rain is forecast for Tuesday. Even so, the weather is expected to clear by the time the match begins.

In the last T20 International played at this ground, South Africa comfortably defended a target of 164 runs. The pitch could therefore offer a close contest between bat and ball.

The full squads of both teams: the Indian side includes Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Kumar Kushagra and Mayank Yadav are also part of the team.

The New Zealand side has Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner (captain). Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner, Matthew Fisher and Devon Conway are also in the squad.

On timing, today's third T20 between India and New Zealand will begin at 12.30 pm. The captains of both teams will come out for the toss at 12 pm. The match will be played in Wellington.