A clinical performance by the Indian cricket team helped them win the eight-over series-decider by six runs. With this, Virat Kohli-led blues won the three-match T20I series 2-1 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

WICKET! Tom Bruce run out for four runs.

WICKET! Jasprit Bumrah is back in action as he takes the scalp of Henry Nicholls (2) in the seventh over. The Ahmedabad-born pacer claims his second wicket.

WICKET! Another man who stood solidly for a while, Glenn Phillips falls for 11 runs. Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav claims his first wicket.

WICKET! New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson loses his wicket — run out for eight runs. All credit goes to Hardik Pandya.

After the first-half, India are on top with captain Kane Williamson (7*) and Glenn Phillips (0*) drive New Zealand to 26/2 in four overs.

WICKET! Jasprit Bumrah joins the celebration. Rohit Sharma takes a brilliant catch at mid-on, Colin Monro departs for seven runs.

Munro managed to score a six to enthrall the Kerala spectators.

WICKET! Indian shines in the first over as he dismisses Martin Guptill for just one run. New Zealand are 8/1 after the first over, 60 runs away from victory.

End of Indian innings!

Hardik Pandya scored unbeaten 14 runs and MS Dhoni (0*) helped him running swift between the wickets s India managed to put 67/5 on board. In an eight-over bash, this seems to be a competitive total, especially in rain-affected conditions here at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

WICKET! Big blow for India as Manish Pandey departs in the last over. He scored 17 runs off 11 balls with a six and a four, before losing his wicket to Trent Boult.

WICKET! Kiwi spinner Ish Sodhi gets his second wicket in shape of Shreyas Iyer (6).

After first four overs, India are 31/3 with young-guns Manish Pandey (1*) and Shreyas Iyer (2*) fighting.

WICKET! Big strike from Ish Sodi, India’s leadig man Virat Kohli goes back to pavilion for mere 13 runs.

WICKET! Tim Southee strikes back-to-back, dismisses Rohit Sharma for eight runs. The New Zealander brings his team on top in the third over.

WICKET! Shikhar Dhawan departs for six runs. India seem under pressure as they haven’t seen much of fireworks in the early moments of the eight-over decider.

New Zealand have won the toss and opted to field first against India in the third and final T20I at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

“Not sure about the surface, it’s an 8-over game, but at the end of the day, the better team will win. It’s a decider, we have to show plenty of intensity with the ball,” the Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson said after winning the toss.

New Zealand pacer Tim Southee will replace Adam Milne in the playing XI.

“We would have bowled first, looks like a damp wicket, there was no sun and there’s some moisture on the surface. We will have to put up a big score and then restrict them. The crowd has waited patiently and deserve to see a game,” Indian captain Virat Kohli said.

Kohli introduced two changes in the playing XI — Manish Pandey and Kuldeep Yadav will play in place of Axar Patel and Mohammed Siraj.

India Playing XI:

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli (C), Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (WK), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

New Zealand Playing XI:

Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (C), Tom Bruce, Glenn Phillips (WK), Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult

An eight overs per side game will be played between India and New Zealand, starting 9:30 pm. Four bowlers can now bowl two overs each.

The match was scheduled to start at 7 pm but it’s still drizzling in Thiruvananthapuram. The cut-off time for a five-over match is 10:15 pm.

After 8 pm, the overs will start reducing. One over will be lost for every four minutes delay.

The start of the series-deciding third T20I between India and New Zealand has been delayed due to rain at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

The groundsmen are trying hard to dry the outfield in Kerala.

Virat Kohli-led India had won the first match by 53 runs in New Delhi, before losing the second T20I by 40 runs in Rajkot.

The city is hosting an international match after a leap of three decades. In the last affair, Vivian Richards-led West Indies had beaten India, who were led by current head coach Ravi Shastri.

The batting position of legendary wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni will be under the spotlight as India aim to go for the kill against a gutsy New Zealand.

Read match preview: Focus on MS Dhoni’s batting order as India face New Zealand

The series is level at 1-1, just like the Australia series that India played prior to this. The men-in-blue had to share the trophy after the series decider T20I washed out in Hyderabad.

There are chances that India’s final encounter against the Black Caps could meet the same fate with the rain lashing out Thiruvananthapuram.