New Zealand vs India 2020, 3rd ODI Match Prediction: Who will win the match?

Who will prevail in the dead rubber?

Despite being drubbed 0-5 in the T20I series, New Zealand showed character and bounced back in the ODI series. The hosts have already taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match series against India as they will now look forward to inflicting a whitewash.

The final match of this series will take place at the Bay Oval, the same venue where India and New Zealand clashed in the fifth T20I match. The pitch on this ground got slower as the match progressed hence, both the captains will look to bat first after winning the toss.

Talking about the team combinations, Kane Williamson may return to the match squad as he would have recovered from his injury. Besides, India may consider resting Jasprit Bumrah for the final match as he will need some rest ahead of the Test series. Also, Kedar Jadhav is likely to lose his place to Manish Pandey in the Indian playing XI.

Thus far in the series, the Indian openers have not made much impact. Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal have not been able to match the performance of their New Zealand rivals, Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls. The number four batsmen of both the sides have been on fire but it is the bowling department which has given New Zealand a 2-0 lead in this series.

The Kiwi batsmen have kept Bumrah quiet in this series while their debutante Kyle Jamieson won the man of the match award with a magnificent performance in the second ODI. Looking at the recent form and team balance of the two teams, the Kiwis will start as the favorites to win this match.

The return of Kane Williamson will boost their chances a lot as his alternative, Tom Blundell had not troubled the Indians much in this series. Expect this match to go down to the wire but a Williamson special should help New Zealand complete a clean sweep.

Predicted winners of the second ODI between New Zealand and India: New Zealand

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