New Zealand vs India 2019: India's Predicted Playing XI for the third ODI
The Indian team went up 2-0 in the series with another convincing performance against New Zealand in the second game. After the Indian batsmen made sure that they had a competitive score on the board, the bowling clicked together to ensure that the Kiwi batsmen were kept under pressure.
In the end, it was the spinners who were the most fruitful, picking up seven wickets between them. Kuldeep Yadav finished his spell with four wickets in the innings.
The action will now move to the 28th, with the Bay Oval continuing to be the host ground for the third ODI.
With their winning combination sorted, the Indian team will be looking to make very few changes for the third game, and might experiment only for the fourth and fifth ODI, when Virat Kohli heads back.
Here's India's predicted XI for the third ODI:
Openers - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been in fine touch, which bodes well for India ahead of the World Cup. The former was the Man of the Match in the second ODI, while the latter has looked in good touch throughout, posting two back-to-back fifties.
The way the two work together in tandem, be it against the pacers or the spinners, is their biggest strength. When one finds it difficult to get going, the other takes charge and keeps the run-flow going.
Rohit Sharma's 87 off 96 balls turned out to be the rock in India's first innings score of 324, which was assisted well by Shikhar Dhawan's 66 at the top. Together, their 154-run first wicket stand gave India the chance to post in excess of 300, and even 350 seemed easily in sight.