India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I preview: India can seal the series in Wellington; XIs, pitch, weather, timings

New Zealand's changes

New Zealand have lost Matt Henry, who has been ruled out of the rest of the series with a tight calf, and Lockie Ferguson is being rested for this match as part of workload management. Blair Tickner has been added to the squad, and Kyle Jamieson returns for the third game. Reports differ on the last places in New Zealand's eleven, and the lists that have appeared include Jacob Duffy and Adam Milne in some cases. The final teams will be known only at the toss.

The probable New Zealand eleven is Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne and Blair Tickner.

India's probable eleven

India are expected to field the same side as in Christchurch: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav. Ishan Kishan is out of the series with an adductor strain. India's batting has depended on the lower middle order in both chases, so the main question is whether the top order can set up a chase early.

The surface at the Wellington ground is a drop-in pitch that is described as bouncing and carrying for the fast bowlers. The average first-innings score in T20Is there is about 153, and teams batting second have a slight edge. In the first two matches, both of which were won by the side chasing, the pattern is the same.

The weather forecasts disagree. One says there is about a 75 per cent chance of rain, another says there is no chance of precipitation during the game, and a third says there is no clear sign of rain at the start, though strong winds and a chilly evening could affect play. Wellington is known for its wind, which can make it hard for bowlers to hold their line and for fielders to judge catches.

Wellington has a reputation for being the windiest of the main New Zealand grounds, and the wind often blows across the ground and changes with the hour. Captains who win the toss at the stadium have often chosen to chase, as the pattern in this series suggests, since the target gives batters a clear aim and the dew and the wind matter less for a side that has seen what the pitch does. Boundary sizes and the direction of the breeze can also change which bowlers are used from each end, and spin may be harder to control in a strong wind.

In India, the match is shown on the Sony Sports Network channels, and it is streamed on SonyLIV with replays and highlights.

For India, the first aim is to seal the series, and the second is to see whether the batters who have not yet scored can find some runs before the matches in Auckland and Hamilton. The side with the better start in the powerplay has usually done well in this series, so the new-ball overs from Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar will be important, and so will the answer to Santner's spin in the middle.

For New Zealand, the match is one that they have to win. A defeat would end the series with two matches left. Their rebuilt attack will be tested by an Indian batting line-up that has been scoring at about nine runs an over, and their own top order, which gave them a good start in Christchurch before the middle overs slowed down, will want to do better. The side that handles the wind and the bounce better is likely to win.