IND vs NZ: 3rd T20I Preview – Hosts aim to wrap up series with whitewash

With the series already in their bag, Team India will take on New Zealand in the final T20I of the three-match series on Sunday, November 21. In the 2nd T20I, Rohit Sharma and his men were clinical with both bat and ball, hammering the Kiwis with 7 wickets and 16 balls remaining.

India: Rohit’s captaincy working wonders

For India, the openers have been in superb form. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have taken the attack to the opposition, playing a major role in helping India to a position of strength. While the Rohit-Rahul duo put on a 50-run stand in the first match, they added a record 117-run partnership in the second.

Suryakumar Yadav also appears to be in good touch, having scored a match-winning 62 in the first T20I. With the ball, Ravichandran Ashwin has been outstanding. In both matches put together, Ashwin has bowled 8 overs, conceding just 42 runs and has also scalped 3 wickets as well.

New Zealand: Weak without Williamson

On the other hand, the Kiwis have been let down by their middle order, undoing all the effort by the in-form Martin Guptill at the top. In the first T20I, their batting scorecard read 110/2 after 13.2 overs, but the middle order failed to step onto the pedal, throwing away their next 4 wickets for only 52 runs.

In the second T20I as well, the Kiwis were in for a big score, with their scorecard reading 79/2 after just 8.5 overs. Yet again, the middle order floundered and the visitors could only post 153/6 in their 20-over quota.

With the final game being a dead rubber, there’s nothing much that New Zealand can really do except try and finish with a win. India will be aiming for a complete whitewash to repair, if not heal, some wounds from the T20 World Cup.

Match Info

India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Date and Time: Nov 21st 07:00 PM IST

Head-to-head

Total: 19 matches

India – 10 wins

New Zealand – 9 wins

Team News

India: With the series already secured, India may look to test their bench strength by resting some of their senior players. Ruturaj Gaikwad might get a chance in the playing XI in place of KL Rahul. Ishan Kishan could also get a look in, along with Avesh Khan who could make his debut.

New Zealand: The Kiwis already made 3 changes to their playing XI in the second T20I. Trent Boult has been rested for the Test series, which means he will feature in the 3rd T20I. Their line-up is likely to remain unchanged.