India vs New Zealand 2019, 3rd T20I: Preview & Predicted Playing XI
After a two-month-long Oceania tour, it is time to lay down the curtains with an enthralling finale in the last T20I of the series.
Both India and New Zealand will aim to leave no stones unturned when they clash at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, February 10.
Head to Head Overall: New Zealand convincingly leads the overall scoreline by winning seven out of the ten completed fixtures they have played against India.
Head to Head in New Zealand: In the previous game, the Kiwis suffered their maiden T20I defeat at home against the Men in Blue. Like the previous fixture at Auckland, this will be their maiden T20I clash at Seddon Park.
Previous Clash: In the second fixture of ongoing T20I series at the Auckland, the visitors rode on an impressive Krunal Pandya show to restrict the Kiwis at 158/8. India then overhauled the target in 18.5 overs to win the game by seven wickets.
India
The Indians have never lost a series under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, and they would love to keep that record intact. However, they would know that the Kiwis capabilities in their own den, and can't take them lightly especially at the Seddon Park.
Batting
Rohit Sharma played a captain's knock in the previous game to lay down the platform for India. The skipper looks set for another big knock here. His opening partner Shikhar Dhawan scored 29 and 30 in his two outings and will be eager to improve that further in the decider.
Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar have already proved their worth in the lineup and will be expected to get the team through to a strong total in case of early jolts.
Bowling
Krunal Pandya (3/28) played a key role in India's victory in the previous game by rattling the Kiwis' top-order to halt their scoring rate. Khaleel Ahmed also came with an improved show in the second encounter by picking up two wickets for 27 runs. These two, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, will be expected o do the major damage to the Kiwi lineup.
Expected Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal and Khaleel Ahmed
New Zealand
The Seddon Park at Hamilton has been the Kiwis' hunting ground and they have won six of last eight games played at this venue. The New Zealand will certainly take a lot of confidence from their previous record and look to secure series against buoyant Indian side.
Batting
Tim Siefert and Colin Munro failed to replicate their show in the second T20 and their early fall hurled the hosts progress towards a giant total. They will need them to come out with their best and set the tone for the decent target.
In the middle-order, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson are the two rocks of the Kiwi lineup. Taylor (42) and Grandhomme (50) did a good job to get the Kiwis through to a challenging total after early blows. The duo will be expected to continue their form in the series decider. Williamson (20) failed to convert his start in the previous game and will hope to rectify that in next outing.
Bowling
Tim Southee has taken the most wickets for the hosts at this ground and was also their key performer in the opening fixture against India. The seam bowler will be eager to use his expertise to rattle the Indian dreams. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi can make things tough for the visitors by slipping in few tidy overs in the middle.
Expected Playing XI
Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi and Blair Tickner