The India National Cricket Team is in New Zealand for a full tour, which began with a five-match T20I series. The first match has already been played, and the second is currently underway. Star batter Ishan Kishan, who was ruled out of the second game, has also been ruled out of the third game.

In the first T20I match, India etched history as they made their highest successful run chase in the format after the Men in Blue chased down the target of 226 runs at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. Shreyas Iyer’s side showcased amazing batting prowess in the first game which helped them to achieve the target with ease, they will look to win the second game as well.

Ishan Kishan ruled out of 3rd T20I

As per reports from SportsTak journalist Nitin K Srivastav, Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the third T20I match due to a low-grade right adductor strain, which kept him out of the second T20I. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already announced Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra as the cover.

Ishan Kishan has also been ruled out of the 3rd T20I against New Zealand due to a low grade right adductor strain.

— Nitin K Srivastav (@Nitin_sachin) October 24, 2026

With the absence of Ishan Kishan in the squad, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got his chance to play in the series. He has already been in the playing XI for the second T20I match, and with the No.1 T20I batter possibly out of the third game as well, the 15-year-old boy wonder would look to grab the opportunity and score some runs in tough conditions.

Ishan Kishan's recent form

Ishan Kishan has been India’s best batter since his return to the side. The Southpaw came in, made the No.3 position his, and in some games also opened the innings and played some amazing innings during the bilateral series and then in the T20 World Cup 2026 as well. He will look to make a comeback for the final two games of the series.

Kishan has been the No.1 T20I player, surpassing his teammate Abhishek Sharma, after his carnage this year. He has scored 1,159 runs in 35 innings this year; this speaks volumes about the runs Kishan has scored consistently for the Men in Blue, with an average of over 35 and scoring one hundred and seven fifties.

India in firm control of 2nd T20I

Coming to the 2nd T20I match, Shreyas Iyer once again won the toss and elected to field first, as they made two changes: one was a forced one as Kishan was out, with Sooryavanshi coming in, and the other one was Prince Yadav coming in for Mayank Yadav.

The Men in Blue had a brilliant start to their innings as they picked three wickets early, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also picked a wicket. After that, Glenn Phillips was the star for New Zealand in the first game, once again stitching a partnership with Bevon Jacobs.

Philips has scored his second fifty of the series, and Jacobs has been relatively slow, as the Indian bowlers have been tight with their line and length. The two have now stitched a partnership of 80 runs.