- Bracewell calls for an all-round performance as New Zealand look to stay alive in the T20I series against India. New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell has urged his team to put in a complete performance in Wellington as the Kiwis beat India 2-0 in the T20I series.
- India vs New Zealand.
- (Source: SonyLIV) New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell has called for a full team performance ahead of the third T20I against India in Wellington on October 26, 2026.
Bracewell calls for an all-round performance as New Zealand look to stay alive in the T20I series against India. New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell has urged his team to put in a complete performance in Wellington as the Kiwis beat India 2-0 in the T20I series.
India vs New Zealand. (Source: SonyLIV) New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell has called for a full team performance ahead of the third T20I against India in Wellington on October 26, 2026. The Kiwis are 2-0 down in the series and need a win to keep their hopes alive.
In the first two games, India managed to pick up victories from difficult positions while New Zealand were unable to contain the world champions after finding their rhythm in the closing stages of each game. In the first T20I, New Zealand peared to be in control as India were reduced to 167/5 in 14.3 overs. However, Naman Dhir scored an unbeaten 42 off just 15 balls in the death overs while Indian ctain Shreyas Iyer contributed 42 off 28 balls.
The pair’s partnership led India to a four-wicket win and denied New Zealand a seemingly likely victory. The second T20I brought an even more dramatic turnaround. India slipped to 70 for the fifth time while chasing their target of 181 with the game firmly in New Zealand’s hands.
Naman again played a key role, scoring 31 runs at a fast pace and sharing a 42-run stand with Tilak Varma to revive the chase. Despite this, India still needed 54 runs off the last four balls at one point. However, calculated hits from Tilak and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the last three overs ensured India secured another win by a ball.
Bracewell acknowledged that the series was close throughout and expressed the team’s desire to correct its mistakes in Wellington. “I think it’s an exciting series so far. Obviously we were on the wrong side of both games but I think it’s pretty clear from the results that it’s been a very close series so far.
Yes, there are some things we would like to have done in the last two games, but we will look to correct those mistakes here in Wellington,” Bracewell was quoted as saying. What does Bracewell think New Zealand should do differently in the third T20I? Bracewell emphasized the need for consistency across all phases rather than good isolated phases.
He noted that the team performed well for long stretches in both games but could not maintain that level at critical moments when India fought back. “I think any time you play against one of the best teams in the world – there are a number of very good teams in international cricket – you have to be at your best and I think we were at our best for much of the game. It’s simply about achieving a full performance together.
We’ve talked about it as a batting group and I’m sure the bowlers have done the same, which is to do what we do very well, just for a little bit longer. As I said, we have been in the game for long periods of the game, even on top at times as well. It’s just about staying clinical in those key moments and India was that and that’s what we did, yeah, I guess we’d like to go back to a few of those situations and try something different,” he explained.
What contribution did Bracewell and Santner make to intermediaries? Bracewell highlighted that India’s aggressive powerplay proach was a consistent pattern in both games and pointed to the spin partnership between himself and Mitchell Santner as a key factor in slowing that momentum during the middle overs. “I think they got off to a pretty good start on the power play.
This is definitely something they strive for as a team, so being able to slow them down in the middle was extremely beneficial. Mitch (Santner) has been doing this for many years, so it’s always great to see him play so well and keep them in check,” Bracewell said. The all-rounder also reflected on his skipper’s bowling contribution in the second T20I where he took four wickets to put New Zealand in a strong position in the game.
“And then the other night, getting four wickets as well was hugely important to get us into this game and get us to the top at this point. “So, as I said, there’s a lot of positives to take from the first two games and we’re really looking forward to tomorrow night and another opportunity to play against a world-class team,” he concluded.
