With a well-deserved break on the cards, India captain Virat Kohli will be aiming to seal the five-match series when his team square off against a New Zealand in the third ODI in Mount Maunganui on Monday.
The Indian captain has been given a break as part of Board of Control for Cricket in India’s workload management programme. An unassailable 3-0 lead would be a fitting revenge to India’s abject 0-4 humiliation during the 2014 ODI series.
One of the primary focus of this encounter could be inclusion of Indian cricket’s latest enfant terrible Hardik Pandya, who is coming back from provisional suspension following his sexist comments on TV show Koffee with Karan.
Pandya’s presence lends solidity and balance to the side. That Vijay Shankar was given only two overs in the second ODI is an example that the team management is still not ready to trust him yet. Pandya is a few clicks quicker than Shankar.
Pandya can also bat at no 6 if situation arises and his busy approach in batting can also get the scoreboard ticking in middle overs as the skipper wants. Otherwise Indian team doesn’t require much tinkering.
New Zealand have looked clueless against India’s wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who accounted for 12 of the 20 wickets in the last two ODIs. Kuldeep has looked the most menacing as he claimed two four-wicket hauls in the first two ODIs, while Chahal returned with two wickets from both games.
Seamers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami also have done their job well, getting crucial breakthroughs for the team.
India’s batting has complemented the bowlers, looking rock-solid in both the games with Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form lending the team the much-needed support at the top. The southpaw has scored two fifties in as many games.
Vice captain Rohit Sharma – who had flopped in the first ODI – too played strokeful 87 en route his 14th century stand with opening partner Dhawan. Skipper Kohli also looked in good nick in both the matches, while Ambati Rayudu seemed to have found his mojo back with a 49-ball 47 on Saturday.
MS Dhoni also continued his rampaging run with an eye-catching unbeaten 33-ball 48 to take India across the 300-mark while Kedar Jadhav has also grabbed the role of a finisher with both hands.
There is a slight concern about the visitors’ fifth bowler’s slot, where Pandya just might fit in. India are yet to finalise their middle-order ahead of the World Cup.
Once Kohli takes a break following the third ODI, Dinesh Karthik might get a place to boost the middle-order. The team management might also think of handing an India debut to rising star Shubman Gill.
For Black Caps, captain Kane Williamson, who had top-scored in the first ODI, looked good during his short stay in the second ODI. All-rounder Doug Bracewell tried to take the game to the wire with a 46-ball 57, but none of the other batters could convert their starts.
“There’s two games in a row now where we’ve not had control at any stage, but we need to take small steps,’’ Williamson said. “Some of the dismissals were a result of us going too hard maybe. If you have wickets in hand, you never know. But we didn’t have wickets in hand. Those are the lessons that we need to take ahead.”
Teams (from):
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Henry Nicholls, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Micthell Santner, Tim Southee.
Match Starts at 7:30 am
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