India will have a chance to take an impregnable 3- 0 lead and wrap up the series, whereas New Zealand will look to stay afloat in the five-match T20I series. The action will move to Hnry Stadium, Wellington, after two matches at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.
India looked tentative with the bat in the run chase of 181 before Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy turned the match on its head in the second phase of the innings in the last game.
However, the visitors would want more from their top and middle order. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel revealed that Ishan Kishan is recovering well but he has been ruled out of the third game. Thus, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will get one more opportunity and it would be interesting to note where he bats after he struggled to get going in the previous game while batting at one drop.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has had a tough return to the team and the veteran seamer would look to deliver to end the debate regarding his performances. India can think of playing either Varun Chakravarthy or Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI, but they are unlikely to tinker with the bowling combination.
On the other hand, New Zealand’s bowlers will look to come up with an improved performance as they had the second match under their grasp but could not close it. Glenn Phillips has been outstanding for the Kiwis, and he will look to carry his good form.
Head-to-head: Matches: 33, Won by India: 21, Won by New Zealand: 11, Tied: 1.
India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer [c], Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson [wk], Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [wk], Tilak Varma [vc], Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav
New Zealand T20I squad: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner
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