India find their feet after turbulent T20I run, but Wellington wind brings new test

India's T20I rebuild under Shreyas Iyer hits its stride — but Wellington wind looms

The celebrations that followed India's win in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch laid bare just how much the Men in Blue needed that result. Since lifting the T20 World Cup, life in the shortest format has been a roller-coaster for the side under new captain Shreyas Iyer.

It began with the Ireland tour, where India lost both matches while chasing — first by 34 runs, then by a solitary run. The malaise carried into the England series, where the hosts humbled India 4-0. There, the team faltered in both batting and bowling when it counted: Ravi Bishnoi conceded 29 runs in the 17th over of the second match as England cruised home with an over to spare, before a 76-run collapse left India at their second-lowest T20I total in a 125-run defeat — their heaviest loss in the format.

The home series against the West Indies earlier this month brought little relief, with the visitors escaping with a 2-2 draw.

The UK tour was an eye-opener. Opener Sanju Samson, who struck a 33-ball 67 in the opener against New Zealand, said the team's motto was to play an "aggressive" brand of cricket, with a clear mandate for the openers to "kill the game in the Powerplay."

"Sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't, but we have to keep believing," Samson said.

Bowling coach Morne Morkel echoed that message on the eve of the third T20I in Wellington.

"For us, it's about playing a brand of cricket that is entertaining. We're not always going to get it right. But it is about putting that aggressive foot forward. We had our challenges in England and Ireland, where we weren't consistent. So, there's a big focus on this tour, especially in white-ball cricket, to raise our standards and play a good brand of cricket," Morkel said.

India have executed that aggression in the first two games. They chased down 225 with room to spare in the opener, then dug out of trouble in the second. After the bowlers restricted the Black Caps to 180 and India slid to 70/5, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy held their nerve and used their cricketing smarts to steer a four-wicket win.

Wellington, however, presents a different kind of examination — the wind. On Monday a wind warning was issued in the city and the waterfront was closed after several cyclists were blown off their bikes. Conditions are expected to improve by Tuesday's match, though it will be chilly.

"This is a different beast, this wind. I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was sort of shaking. It's going to be a new thing that we add to our books for the guys to get used to and become accustomed to. But it's about looking forward to that challenge and taking it head-on, and not making excuses," Morkel said.

Prior reporting from 26 October had already flagged the swirling wind, possible rain and a fresh wicket in Wellington as India arrived with a 2-0 series lead and one hand on the T20I trophy, looking to tighten both their bowling and their batting against spin.

On the team front, teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will keep his place, with the injured Ishan Kishan ruled out of the third game as well.