It's time for the third and final India vs New Zealand ODI. The Men in Blue are eyeing yet another ODI series sweep, having already taken a 2-0 lead in the three match series. While the first game was a high scoring cliffhanger, the second match was all India, as they shot out the Kiwis for just 108, before wrapping up a comfortable 8 wicket win.
The Indian players have shown no signs of fatigue, despite the crammed calendar.
Barely three days after wrapping up the bilateral series vs Sri Lanka at home, Team India were back in action again in a home series. We witnessed a high scoring thriller in the first game in Hyderabad, which India won by just 12 runs, despite putting up a mammoth 349/8 on the board.
For Team India, the thing they will be happy about the most is the fact that in the 2nd ODI they managed to improve in the one area where they were found wanting in the first ODI - finishing off the opponent when they have them on the mat.
Before the ongoing series, the last time these two teams clashed in an ODI series was recently in November last year, when a severely rain affected series saw the Kiwis take a 1-0 series win.
Ahead of the third and final ODI game, here are all the big match details that you need to know:
What: India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI
Where: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
When: January 24 (Tuesday) - 1:30 PM IST
ICC Team Rankings: India: 4th; New Zealand: 1st
Big Talking Points:
- Mohammed Shami might be rested for the 3rd ODI as part of workload management. Umran Malik could get a look-in
- Rajat Patidar, who replaced Shreyas Iyer in the squad might get a look-in , since India have already wrapped up the series. The big question is who will he replace in the playing XI? Suryakumar Yadav, who has become one of India's key players could be rested
- The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh international stadium in Raipur became the 50th venue in India to host an ODI on Saturday when it hosted the 2nd ODI
- India have already wrapped up the series by virtue of their 2-0 series lead. India have now won seven successive bilateral series on Indian soil from December 15, 2019 onwards - their best winning streak in India.
- Rohit Sharma will look to score big again after registering his 48th ODI half century in Raipur in the 2nd ODI
- Virat Kohli who is also in good form will be itching to get a big score after missing out in the first two ODIs
- Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the series with a back injury. Rajast Patidar from Madhya Pradesh was named his replacement
- KL Rahul or Axar Patel for this series. Both players have family commitments. Rahul is getting married to Suniel Shetty's daughter Athiya Shetty
- Yuzvendra Chahal could be drafted into the playing XI as part of player rotation, maybe in place of Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh is not part of this India squad, but he has been picked for the 3 match T20I series vs the Black Caps which follows the ODI series
- 29 year old wicket-keeper batter from Andhra Pradesh KS Bharat received his maiden ODI call-up for this series. Will he make his international debut on Tuesday?
- The first choice keeper remains Ishan Kishan, but he could be rested
- For the Kiwis there is no Kane Williamson or Tim Southee
- Tom Latham is the captain of the New Zealand ODI team for this series
- The Kiwis don't have the services of fast bowler Adam Milne who is nursing a hamstring issue
- Fast bowler Matt Henry also misses out. The abdominal strain that saw him miss the series vs Pakistan ruled him out of this series also
Predicted Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (WK)/KS Bharat (WK), Suryakumar Yadav/Rajat Patidar, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham(C & WK), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner
Full Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Rajat Patidar
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Doug Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Convay, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
Where to watch: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar
Full Schedule of India vs New Zealand ODI series:
First ODI: January 18, Hyderabad - India won by 12 runs
Second ODI: January 21, Raipur - India won by 8 wickets
Third ODI: January 24, Indore
India vs New Zealand overall ODI Head to Head:
Matches: 115
Won by India: 57
Won by NZ: 50
Tied: 1
NR: 7
India vs New Zealand ODI Head to Head in India:
Matches: 37
Won by India: 28
Won by NZ: 8
Tied: 0
NR: 1
