India will look to wrap up the five-match series against New Zealand as they arrive at the Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday on the back of two confident wins.
The visitors won the first two matches with an identical margin of four wickets, chasing down 226 and 181 at the Hagley Oval to jump to a 2-0 lead.
India have played three T20Is at the Hnry Stadium and have never won one inside the regulation 20 overs. They lost by five wickets in 2009, were bowled out for 139 chasing 220 in 2019, and tied here in 2020 before taking the super over.
That is the one piece of history New Zealand can lean on when the sides meet in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27.
They do so without Matt Henry, who has left the squad to join the ODI group, and Lockie Ferguson, who sits out this match before returning for the last two. Blair Tickner has been added for the remainder of the series.
The Sporting News brings you the pitch report, key T20I records, and everything you need to know about the ground ahead of the third T20I between New Zealand and India.
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Is the Hnry Stadium pitch a batting or bowling wicket?
The ground has changed character over the years. Across its 18 men's T20Is, the record splits almost evenly, with sides batting second winning ten and sides batting first seven, the other game ending in a tie.
What has changed is the scoring. The first nine matches here produced nothing above 196, while the nine since 2019 include totals of 219, 216, 215 and 208, which is a different competition entirely.
Pace tends to be rewarded ahead of spin, and the square boundaries are short at around 60 metres, which cuts both ways on a ground where the wind usually dictates which side of the wicket is worth attacking.
Tuesday removes that variable. Heavy rain is forecast through the morning before clearing by lunchtime, leaving a cold, still and humid evening, with the temperature dropping from 12°C at the start to 9°C by the close. Those are near-perfect conditions for dew, and the captain who wins the toss is expected to bowl.
What is the average T20I score at the Hnry Stadium?
The all-time first-innings average at the ground is 164 across 18 men's T20Is, but that figure is held down by a decade of low-scoring games that no longer reflect how the venue plays.
Since the start of 2019, the nine first innings here have averaged 174.8, which is a far better guide to what to expect. Both sides have already cleared 180 twice in this series.
The highest successful chase is Australia's 216 for 4 against New Zealand in February 2024, achieved with the full 20 overs used. The lowest total defended is Australia's 156 for 6 in March 2021, after which New Zealand were dismissed for 106.
Highest team total at the Hnry Stadium in T20Is
New Zealand's 219 for 6 against India on February 6, 2019 remains the ground record, built on Tim Seifert's 84 from 43 balls. India were bowled out for 139 in reply and lost by 80 runs.
Australia's 216 for 4 in February 2024 is next, and it came in a chase, the visitors overhauling New Zealand's 215 for 3 with four wickets standing. That match produced 431 runs, the most the ground has seen.
Australia's 208 for 4 in March 2021 is the third highest, while New Zealand's 196 for 5 appears twice, against Pakistan in January 2016 and England in February 2018. The hosts won both.
Lowest team total at the Hnry Stadium in T20Is
Pakistan's 101 all out in 16.1 overs on January 22, 2016, is the lowest score made here, coming in reply to New Zealand's 196 for 5 and handing the hosts a 95-run win.
Pakistan also holds second place, bowled out for 105 in 19.4 overs, batting first in January 2018, a total New Zealand chased in just 15.5 overs for the loss of three wickets.
New Zealand themselves are third on the list, dismissed for 106 in 18.5 overs, chasing Australia's 156 for 6 in March 2021. No side has been bowled out for under 100 at the venue.
Highest individual score at the Hnry Stadium in T20Is
Tim Seifert's unbeaten 97 from 38 balls against Pakistan on March 26, 2025 is the best innings the ground has produced, and nobody has yet made a T20I hundred here.
He struck six fours and ten sixes at a strike rate of 255.26, and New Zealand chased 129 in ten overs. Seifert also holds second place with his 84 off 43 against India in 2019, which means the top two scores at the venue belong to a man in the current side.
Corey Anderson's unbeaten 82 off 42 against Pakistan in January 2016 is third, ahead of Alex Hales' 80 not out for England in 2013 and Aaron Finch's 79 not out for Australia in 2021.
Best bowling figures at the Hnry Stadium in T20Is
Ashton Agar's 6 for 30 for Australia on March 3, 2021, is the only five-wicket haul at the ground and comfortably the best analysis, with the left-arm spinner taking six in a match New Zealand lost by 64 runs.
Jimmy Neesham's 5 for 22 against Pakistan in March 2025 is the only other five-for here, and it came at an economy of 5.50 in a game Pakistan could only reach 128 for 9 in.
Grant Elliott's 3 for 7 from two overs in 2016 leads the rest, with Adam Milne's 3 for 8 from the same match and Tim Southee's 3 for 13 against Pakistan in 2018 completing the list.
Most runs at the Hnry Stadium in T20Is
Martin Guptill leads with 453 runs from 13 innings at 37.75, a tally that includes four fifties, 37 fours and 19 sixes, and no current player is close to it.
Seifert is second on 291 from seven innings, and the gap between the two says a great deal about how the ground now plays. Guptill scored at 130.54, and Seifert at 168.20, and Seifert has hit as many sixes in seven innings as Guptill managed across 13 while averaging 58.20.
Ross Taylor is third on 206, with Finch on 184 and Kane Williamson on 180. Of the five, only Seifert is in New Zealand's squad for this series.
Most wickets at the Hnry Stadium in T20Is
Ish Sodhi heads the list with 18 wickets from ten matches at 18.05, though his economy of 8.33 is the most expensive among the leading bowlers at the ground.
Tim Southee is second on 17 from 11 matches at 19.76, and his 3 for 13 remains among the best returns here. He has since retired from international cricket.
That leaves Mitchell Santner as the most relevant name on the list. The New Zealand captain has 13 wickets from nine matches at 15.76, the best average of anyone with ten or more, and his economy of 6.21 is comfortably the tightest. He took 4 for 21 in Christchurch on Saturday and will fancy the conditions here.