India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I: Toss result and playing XIs for today's match, umpires list and pitch report
With the three-match series level at 1-1, India and New Zealand will have everything to play for when they meet in the decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1. More than performances, the pitch talk has dominated proceedings in the series so far, which is not a great sign.
In Ranchi, Team India faltered in a chase of 177 as the dew they expected did not have the desired impact in the second innings. In Lucknow, both teams struggled on an extremely sluggish surface. In the end, the Men in Blue somehow crawled over the line in a chase of 100.
Apart from the pitch, though, Team India's top order has also been a cause for concern. The trio of Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, and Rahul Tripathi have looked totally out of sorts. Had New Zealand posted something around 120-125 in Lucknow, the decider in Ahmedabad might as well have been a dead rubber.
Today's IND vs NZ toss result
Team India have won the toss and opted to bat first. Speaking about the decision, Hardik Pandya said:
“Just want to put some runs and take on the game from there. It’s a very good wicket.”
#TeamIndia have won the toss and elect to bat first in the series decider match.
A look at our Playing XI for the game.
Live - bit.ly/INDvNZ-2023-3R… #INDvNZ
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India have made one change to their playing XI. Umran Malik comes in for Yuzvendra Chahal. For New Zealand, Ben Lister is in for Jacob Duffy.
IND vs NZ - Today's match playing XIs
India: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (w), Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (w), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Lister, Blair Tickner.
Today's IND vs New Zealand pitch report
According to Ajit Agarkar, the surface clearly looks good in comparison to the previous two pitches. There might be a few brown spots, but it will only get better. Because of the grass and nice even covering, the ball will keep skidding.
Today's IND vs NZ match players list
India squad: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Prithvi Shaw, Umran Malik.
https://t.co/nTZBkNvJkL
New Zealand squad: Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner, Michael Rippon, Dane Cleaver, Henry Shipley, Ben Lister.
IND vs NZ - Today's match umpires
On-field umpires: Nitin Menon, Jayaraman Madanagopal
TV umpire: Anil Kumar Chaudhary
Match Referee: Javagal Srinath