India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I: Toss result and playing 11s, today's match umpires list and pitch report
India will face New Zealand in the final T20I of the three-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. With India having clinched the series 2-0, the game on Sunday will be a dead rubber but both sides would be keen to get some match practice.
The Indians have begun the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid era on a winning note but both will be aware that there are bigger challenges ahead. Victory in a bilateral series cannot ease the pain of a poor showing in the T20 World Cup 2021. But for the Men in Blue, it is a much-needed boost of confidence.
New Zealand’s loss in the T20I series was not unexpected. They were understandably weary after a challenging T20 World Cup campaign. They played the final in Dubai on November 15 and traveled to India immediately after. Bad luck with the toss hasn’t helped matters. The Kiwis will be keen to end the T20I series on a high.
India will face New Zealand today in the 3rd T20I at Eden Gardens, Kolkata 🇮🇳🇳🇿
Will India clean sweep New Zealand or will the Kiwis fight back? 🤔
#India #NewZealand #INDvNZ https://t.co/wNIsbM4aCY
IND vs NZ - Today's match playing 11s
IND playing 11: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (w), Venkatesh Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal
NZ playing 11: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (w), James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
IND vs NZ - Today's match opening batters list
Rohit Sharma will open with Ishan Kishan for India as KL Rahul has been rested for the match.
For New Zealand, Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell, who scored 31 each in the previous game, will be the openers.
IND vs NZ - Today's match pitch report
According to Ajit Agarkar, the pitch has changed over the last few years. It is still firm but a little bit abrasive. Bowlers who can bowl cutters could be effective on this surface, especially in the first innings. It is a difficult ground to defend because of the small boundaries.
IND vs NZ - Today's match umpires
On-field umpires: KN Ananthapadmanabhan, Virender Sharma
TV Umpire: Anil Chaudhary
Match Referee: Manu Nayyar
India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I - Toss result for today's match
India have won the toss and have opted to bat. The Men in Blue have made two changes to their team. Ishan Kishan and Yuzvendra Chahal are replacing KL Rahul and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Explaining his decision to bat first, Team India captain Rohit Sharma said:
“Pitch looks a little sticky and we want to challenge ourselves as a batting unit. We want to try out various things and this is one of them. We want to put runs on the board and give the new set of bowlers a target to defend.”
A look at the Playing XI for #TeamIndia.
Ishan Kishan and Yuzvendra Chahal come in place of KL Rahul and R Ashwin.
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For New Zealand, Tim Southee has been rested and Mitchell Santner is leading the team. Lockie Ferguson is part of the playing XI.