NZ vs IND: 3rd ODI Preview – India aim for a series equaliser

New Zealand and India will be locking horns in the series-deciding third One Day International at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Wednesday, November 30. The Kiwis are currently enjoying a 1-0 lead, and with the last game being abandoned due to rain and this is a must-win encounter for the Men in Blue to levelling the series.

While there were no problems initially in the last game in Hamilton, rain played spoilsport all of a sudden and there happened to be a delay of more than a couple of hours. Even though the game did resume as a truncated contest, the rain gods intervened once again which ensured that no further play was possible.

India were placed at 89/1 after 12.5 overs as Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill remained unbeaten. While Yadav scored 34 runs off 25 balls, Gill was not out on 45 runs from 42 deliveries.  Pacer Matt Henry was the sole wicket-taker for the Blackcaps with figures of 1/20 from his four overs at an economy of exactly five. He picked up the wicket of skipper Shikhar Dhawan.

Pitch and Conditions

The surface at the Hagley Oval is a balanced one where the bowlers will get some assistance initially before the batters make merry. However, there are chances of heavy showers in the evening which means that the chasing team will have a huge advantage as the wet ball will make things difficult for the bowlers.

Venue details: Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Last ODI at the venue: BAN: 271/6 in 50 overs | NZ: 275/5 in 48.2 overs.

Here’s the probable playing XI for New Zealand vs India clash:

New Zealand:

New Zealand would not be making any changes to their playing XI in this key clash and would be fielding the same side that had played in the last ODI. Meanwhile, they would be hoping their frontline pacers to provide early breakthroughs.

Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson

India:

Even the Indian team would not be hoping to make any last-minute chopping and changing and stick to the same XI they had fielded in the previous fixture.

Shikhar Dhawan(c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal