The Kiwis have been the most competitive side on the Indian soil over the last year or so. When all other teams have been beaten comprehensively in India, New Zealand have been the only team which has put up some fight.
After narrowly losing the three-match ODI series 1-2, they are yet again with a chance to win their first ever bilateral series in India when the two-sides take the field at Green Field International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
After a dominating performance by the Men in Blue in the opening encounter in Delhi, the visitors made a strong comeback in the 2nd encounter at Rajkot. Riding on a brilliant century by opener Colin Munro New Zealand posted a mammoth 196 on the board and the bowlers backed up the good work of the batsmen and eventually handed New Zealand a convincing victory in the end by 40 runs.
Team News
India
The ploy to give Mohammed Siraj his maiden international cap didn’t go according to plan as the pacer ended up conceding 53 runs in his allotted four overs. He was given no respite by the likes of Munro and Guptill as the duo shared a brilliant opening stand of 105 runs to get the visitors off to a sensational start.
Kuldeep Yadav hasn’t played a single game after a bad day in the office during the opening ODI but the captain Virat Kohli might be tempted in bringing him back for the crucial encounter but it might again affect the combination. Axar Patel is unlikely to be dropped and if that is the case then Kuldeep’s return seems unlikely especially after losing the previous encounter due to the sheer absence of some good batsmen towards the end of the chase.
India went with as many as 6 proper bowling options in a game which is typically suited for the batsmen. In all likelihood, Siraj will face the axe and Manish Pandey might be his possible replacement. The rest of the playing XI is expected to remain the same.
India’s Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand
The visitors will be delighted with their impressive performance in the second encounter which allowed them to keep the 3 match series alive. Colin Munro was at his imperious best as he smashed the Indian bowlers all around the Saurashtra Cricket Association Ground to race off to 108 of just 50 odd deliveries.
The bowling department was yet again impressive especially the spinners. Ish Sodhi has been impressive in the couple of games so far and will look to make his mark in the decider tomorrow. The team is a well-balanced one and will be excited yet again at the prospect of winning their maiden bilateral series in India irrespective of formats.
Latham and Ross Taylor who helped New Zealand win the 1st ODI were not picked for the previous T20I and after their convincing win, it doesn’t look like they will return for the decider. Tim Southee who was expensive in the first encounter was also dropped from the 2nd T20I and is unlikely to make a comeback in the decider.
New Zealand’s Predicted XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Tom Bruce, Glenn Phillips, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Match Prediction
In the prediction article for the second encounter, I had said that despite India’s terrific run New Zealand might force their way back into the series and it is exactly what happened. So for the 3rd match, the Men in Blue are expected to make a strong comeback and ensure the Kiwis doesn’t end up winning their maiden bilateral series in India. So I stick with India to win yet another series at home.