What happened the last time India played a T20I in Auckland before the NZ vs IND 2026 series?

New Zealand and India are set to clash in the penultimate game of the five-match T20I series on Friday, October 30. The game will be played at Eden Park in Auckland.

During the third game on Tuesday, October 27, in Wellington, the hosts posted 198/3, with Daryl Mitchell batting at No. 3 and top-scoring with an unbeaten 89 off 52 balls, striking five fours and five sixes.

In response, Abhishek Sharma went on a rampage, registering his fourth T20I hundred. The southpaw finished with a stunning 113 off 38 balls, hitting nine fours and 11 sixes, as India won the game by six wickets in just 13.2 overs to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.

With the action now moving to Auckland, here we look at what happened the last time India played a T20I at Eden Park.

KL Rahul’s unbeaten half-century powered India to an easy win in a low-scoring encounter

The last time India played a T20I at Eden Park in Auckland was in the second game of the five-match series against New Zealand on January 26, 2020. After opting to bat first, the hosts’ opening pair of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro added 48 runs off 36 balls before the former was dismissed for 33 off 20 balls by Shardul Thakur.

Munro departed after scoring 26 off 25 balls, falling to Shivam Dube, while Colin de Grandhomme managed just three off five balls before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. Skipper Kane Williamson also struggled, scoring 14 off 20 balls before becoming Jadeja’s second victim as New Zealand lost four wickets for 81 runs.

Tim Seifert and Ross Taylor then forged a 44-run stand off 43 balls. Taylor scored 18 off 24 deliveries, while Seifert remained unbeaten on 33 off 26 balls as the hosts posted 132/5 in their 20 overs. For the Men in Blue, Ravindra Jadeja emerged as the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2/18 in his four-over spell.

Chasing 133, Tim Southee dismissed Rohit Sharma in the first over, with the opener scoring eight off six balls. Skipper Virat Kohli also failed to make an impact, departing for 11 off 12 balls. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer then steadied the innings, helping the visitors reach 60 at the halfway mark.

The duo eventually added 86 runs off 67 balls before Iyer was dismissed for 44 off 33 deliveries. Rahul scored a half-century and remained unbeaten on 57 off 50 balls, including three fours and two sixes, as the Men in Blue won the game by seven wickets with 15 balls remaining.

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