India Seek Series Win Against New Zealand in Wellington

India entered the third match of its five-game Twenty20 international series against New Zealand with a 2-0 lead and a chance to secure the series in Wellington on Tuesday, October 27. The match was scheduled at Hnry Stadium, where forecasts pointed to cold, windy conditions and a possibility of rain. India won the first two matches in Christchurch by four wickets each. The opening victories came in successful chases of 226 and 181, according to a match preview. A win in Wellington would give India an unassailable 3-0 lead, with two matches still to play; New Zealand needed a victory to keep its series hopes alive. Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, said the team had discussed Wellington’s wind before the tour. At a prematch press conference, he described the conditions as a new challenge for players to get accustomed to and joked that they could practise by walking into a strong fan. His comments described India’s preparation, but did not establish how the weather would affect play. A forecast cited ahead of the match put the temperature near 10 degrees Celsius around the scheduled evening start and called for gusts of about 20 kilometres per hour. The same report said...