On Wednesday (29th January), the hosts New Zealand and the visitors India will meet in the third game of the five-match T20I series at Seddon Park (Hamilton).
At present, the Indian team is leading this series by 2-0 with three to go, and they will secure their first T20I series victory in New Zealand by winning another match in this series.
They played the first two matches of this series at Eden Park (Auckland). India won the first game by six wickets after successfully chasing their record T20I target at the overseas venue (204/4 in 19 overs). They maintained the winning streak in the second game after restricting the hosts to 132/5 (20 overs) and surpassing that total in 17.3 overs after losing just three wickets.
New Zealand vs India 2020: Here is India predicted XI for the upcoming Hamilton T20I:
Rohit Sharma
Opener Rohit Sharma has recently struggled to score consistently in T20I cricket. The second most T20I run-getter scored seven and eight runs respectively in the first two matches of this series. His form is crucial for team India.
KL Rahul (wk)
The wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul is currently in outstanding form with the bat. In all the last three T20I innings, Rahul scored the 50s. In last eight T20I innings, the right-handed batsman registered seven 40+ scores, including six half-centuries.
Virat Kohli (C)
Indian captain Virat Kohli is in his familiar touch. After scoring crucial 45 runs in the opening game of this series, the right-handed batsman was dismissed cheaply (11) in the second match. However, he hardly stretches his off-form in back-to-back matches.
Shreyas Iyer
The youngster Shreyas Iyer has taken a very short time to impress the cricket world. With his consistent performances, he has fixed his place in the limited-overs teams. In the first two matches of this series, Iyer scored crucial 58* and 44 runs respectively.
Manish Pandey
The in-form middle-order batsman Manish Pandey has recently got very limited opportunities, and mostly he has shown the maturity on the game. He is now playing according to the situation, which brings more chances to him.
Shivam Dube
The right-arm medium-fast Shivam Dube dismissed one set opening batsman in each game of this series. The all-rounder played short roles in both these matches and performed effectively in most of the times.
Ravindra Jadeja
The left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bowled very well in both the matches of this series, but he was incredibly effective in the last game. In that second game, his tight bowling became one of the crucial differences between the two teams.
Mohammed Shami
The right-arm pacer Mohammed Shami hasn’t picked up a wicket in this tour yet. While he was expensive in the first T20I of this series, he was economical and effective in the last match. Shami is playing a vital role in the present Indian pace-bowling line-up.
Jasprit Bumrah
The right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah is returning to his old form. In both the matches of this T20I series, Bumrah bowled very effectively as he was economical and also took one wicket in each game. The opposition batsmen are still clueless to handle the in-form Bumrah properly.
Navdeep Saini
The right-arm fast bowler Navdeep Saini didn’t play the first two T20Is of this tour. However, the 27-year-old has impressed with his bowling in his initial outings in international cricket. While Shardul Thakur hasn’t much impressed yet with the ball, Saini can replace him for this upcoming match.
Yuzvendra Chahal
The leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal bowled much well in the first two matches of this series. However, he is still struggling to pick up wickets in regular matches. At present, he is the second most T20I wicket-taker (53 wickets) for India.