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

New Zealand and India are set to face off in the third T20I of the five-match series on Tuesday, October 27. The match will be played at Hnry Stadium in Wellington.

In the second T20I, played in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24, the hosts posted 180/5 in 20 overs, with Glenn Phillips top-scoring with 70 off 43 balls. In reply, India lost half their side for just 70 runs in 10.5 overs.

However, Naman Dhir sparked a recovery with a 17-ball 31. Tilak Varma (51* off 26) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (26* off 13) then forged an unbeaten 69-run stand off just 30 balls to guide the visitors to a four-wicket win with one ball to spare, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

With the action now shifting to Wellington, let's look back at what happened the last time India played a T20I at Hnry Stadium.

India pulled off a dramatic comeback to clinch a Super Over thriller

India’s last T20I appearance in Wellington came in the penultimate game of the five-match series against New Zealand on January 31, 2020. Put in to bat, Indian openers KL Rahul and Sanju Samson added 14 runs off nine balls before the latter was dismissed for eight off five deliveries.

Rahul scored 39 off 26 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes, while Virat Kohli (11 off 9), Shreyas Iyer (1 off 7) and Shivam Dube (12 off 9) fell cheaply as the visitors lost half their side for 84 in 10.2 overs. Washington Sundar then departed for a three-ball duck.

Manish Pandey and Shardul Thakur subsequently staged a fightback, adding 43 runs off 30 balls. Thakur scored 20 off 15 deliveries, while Pandey registered a half-century, remaining unbeaten on 50 off 36 balls, including three fours, as India posted 165/8.

In reply, Martin Guptill was dismissed for four off eight balls by Jasprit Bumrah. Colin Munro and Tim Seifert then added 73 runs off 44 balls before the former was run out for 64 off 47 deliveries, hitting six fours and three sixes. Batting at No. 4, Tom Bruce departed for a three-ball duck against Yuzvendra Chahal.

Seifert then joined forces with Ross Taylor as New Zealand reached 159/3 after 19 overs, needing seven runs to win off the final six balls. Shardul Thakur bowled the final over and dismissed Taylor for 24 off 18 deliveries on the first ball. Daryl Mitchell then struck a four off the second delivery, while the next ball saw Seifert run out at the striker’s end for 57 off 39 balls, including four fours and three sixes.

Mitchell Santner then took a single before Mitchell was dismissed for four off three deliveries on the penultimate ball, leaving New Zealand needing two runs off the final delivery. Santner was run out while attempting a second run off the last ball, resulting in a tie.

In the Super Over, Jasprit Bumrah was handed the ball as New Zealand finished at 13/1. Chasing 14, KL Rahul hit Tim Southee for a six and a four off the first two deliveries before being dismissed on the third. Kohli then ran two off the fourth ball before finishing the chase with a four, sealing India's Super Over victory with one ball to spare.

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