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| @Abhishek Sharma and Surya Kumar Yadav celebrating after winning the match vs NZ at Guwahati 2026 |
India vs New Zealand - 3rd T20I 25 January 2026
Match Report:
On 25 January 2026, the Indian cricket men team performed a breathtaking act to defeat New Zealand by 8 wickets in the third of five match Twenty20 International of the series held at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, India. The win not only highlighted the superiority of India in the series, with a 3000-point lead that was unattainable, but demonstrated a captivating combination of bowling discipline and batting firepower that was too much to turn back the visitors.
This outcome was the fruit of a game plan that had been successfully implemented by India where they excelled in every facet of the game. They limited New Zealand to a modest sum before pursuing it with almost half the number of innings remaining, delighting spectators with aggression with the stroke and cool finishes.
New Zealand Batting Innings - Setting a Target
India won the toss and decided to bowl first and that decision gave quick results as the bowlers of India struck early and regularly. New Zealand found it hard to develop pace against disciplined bowling. Calls of defiance notwithstanding, they were able to put up a mere 153 runs against 9 wickets in the entire 20 overs.
The Kiwis had the best scorer of Glenn Phillips who scored grittily 48 off 40 balls which exhibited some clean hitting, but not to a considerable extent to trouble the Indian bowling attack. Other batters also gave short contributions such as Mark Chapman and Mitchell Santner although no innings took off.
India had excelled in the bowling scene. Jasprit Bumrah was at the forefront with a blazing spell and his figures ended him worthy of the Player of the Match award. His capacity of extracting late movement and striking the right areas invariably made it hard to hit of the line-up of the New Zealand.
Bowlers such as Ravi Bishnoi, Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana bowled in control and took crucial wickets at crucial moments and they made sure that New Zealand did not dictate the flow of the game at any time. This group work was critical in maintaining the target to be fairly low.
India's Chase: Masterclass in Power Hitting
With a target of 154 runs, the Indian reaction was one that was spectacular. They were aggressive at the very beginning and disturbed the New Zealand bowling attack by hitting hard, and placing intelligently.
The opening pair Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav made the chase a procession. With his explosive style, Sharma gave one of the most striking knocks of the year. He scored an unbeaten 68 runs off 20 balls and the boundaries and sixes came one after another shifting the tide fully in the favour of India. His strike rate was an impressive number that placed a lot of pressure on the bowlers of the opponent.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav gave a perfectly fashioned supporting inning to Sharma with a 57 not out of 26 balls with power and intelligent sense of cricketing. Their alliance was not only overwhelming but crushing such that their alliance crippled the defense strategy of New Zealand. The combination of the two at the crease was important to the breakneck chase and the two had an enormous partnership that the Kiwis could do little about.
A quickfire cameo run by Ishan Kishan also played a vital role in the initial part of the chase, giving the duo the much-needed runs before passing the baton to the duo who were on a roll. His scalding manner established the style of what turned out to be an emphatic show.
In one of the best batting performances, India achieved the target in 60 balls to spare and with only 10 overs to chase this was an astonishing performance. The high rate of scoring, particularly during the Powerplay and middle overs, showed that India had a lot of depth in their batting and their top-order was assured.
Key Performances — What Made the Difference
A number of performances can be distinguished in this overall Indian victory:
- Jasprit Bumrah (Player of the Match)
Bumrah has been an incisive bowler and this aspect was one of the pillars of India. He was also able to hit early and take the key wickets which allowed India to choke the batting line-up of New Zealand, making the chase rather an easy one.
- Abhishek Sharma
The night was about Sharma blitzing his way through the order at the top. His 68-run performance and 50 in no time made the fans electric and gave India the way to easy win.
- Suryakumar Yadav
The fifty of the captain that had never been beaten anchored the chase and gave the right support to Sharma. His creative striking in key moments served to make sure that India continued to keep the scoreboard going.
- Supporting Bowlers
The efforts of Bishnoi, Pandya and Harshit Rana were also useful in limiting New Zealand to a small number. They had the control and capability to hit at the right time and this played a pivotal role in the overall performance of India.
Impact of the Victory:
There were a number of implications to this emphatic win:
Series Control:
This victory placed India in an unbeatable position of 3 goals out of 5 in the series that was destined to be played, which demonstrated their superiority over New Zealand in the T20 style, on their territory.
Psychological Edge:
Pursuing a 150+ target in 10 overs plus, one of the quickest purses in the history of T20 international, will not only give India a confidence booster before the rest of the games, but also in other competitions.
Team Depth:
The game made great use of the depth of Indian batting and versatility in its bowling as both experienced and young talent took part.
Preparation for Big Events:
These kind of domineering performances are priceless because India is on its way to bigger world events in cricket - the shape and composition of the team is intimidating.
Summary:
On 25 January 2026, India displayed a masterful performance in a high-octane match against New Zealand and eventually won the match by 8 wickets, as it pursued 154 runs in only 10 overs. Captained by an incendiary batting display of Abhishek Sharma and a steady inning of Suryakumar Yadav, and supported by deadly efforts by Jasprit Bumrah and others, it was a game which demonstrated the strength of India in T20 cricket. Not only did the outcome guarantee a solid standing of India in the series, but it also made a strong statement regarding.
Brief scores: New Zealand 153/9 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 48; Jasprit Bumrah 3/17, Ravi Bishnoi 2/18) lost to India 155/2 in 10 overs (Abhishek Sharma 68*, Suryakumar Yadav 57) by 8 wickets.