3 things to look forward to in the 3rd India vs New Zealand Test ft. Rohit Sharma in Mumbai
India will face off against New Zealand in the third and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from Friday, November 1. Rohit Sharma and company have already lost the series, but have plenty to play for as far as the World Test Championship is concerned.
The Kiwis sprung a surprise in the series opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which they won by eight wickets to make a real statement. They continued their good form at the MCA Stadium in Pune, where a resounding 113-run win secured the rubber.
The final encounter of the series promises to be an enthralling clash as well.
India’s squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar.
On that note, here are three things to look forward to in the third Test between India and New Zealand.
#3 Rohit Sharma will be back at the Wankhede, in white
Rohit Sharma has played only one Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, which he has called home for a significant portion of time in the Indian Premier League. The Indian skipper scored a magnificent century in that outing against the West Indies and will look to use the return to the venue as a way to get back into form.
Fans at the Wankhede will also be eager to see Rohit, who has been announced as one of MI's five retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. He is currently in an indifferent period of form, having been unable to string together substantial knocks in the last few Tests, and is in desperate need of a big one.
#2 Can New Zealand do the unthinkable?
It has been nearly 25 years since India were whitewashed in a Test series at home comprising more than one match. Can New Zealand, who have already pulled off unprecedented feats in the two Tests so far, go one step further?
The Black Caps' achievements have been made more significant by the fact that they have been without Kane Williamson, who is clearly their most important batter. Tom Latham has led the team well, with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway coming up with key contributions in the batting department. The spinners have done their bit as well.
It'll be very interesting to see if New Zealand can prove that their victories in the first two Tests were not a flash in the pan.
#1 A defeat would seriously damage India's WTC hopes
India now need four victories in their remaining six Tests of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle to secure their berth in the summit clash without being dependent on other results. Having dropped two games on the trot at home, Rohit Sharma and Co. will embark on a tour of Australia that is bound to prove incredibly difficult.
Things are already not looking great for India, who desperately need a win to stay alive and in the reckoning for the WTC final. Gautam Gambhir and the team management have insisted that they are not looking to rest and rotate, given the context of the ICC event, and that should boost the hosts' hopes.
Either way, it's one of the major storylines heading into the third Test between India and New Zealand.