Rohit Sharma and Arshdeep Singh - (Source: AFP)
On Sunday, January 18, India and New Zealand will lock horns against each other in the third and final ODI of the three-match series. The Holkar Stadium in Indore will host the do-or-die fixture as the series is evenly poised 1-1.
India started the series on a high, but New Zealand bounced back in the 2nd ODI to level the series. Now the caravan moves to Indore, where both sides will return to the field after a nice four day break since the 2nd ODI.
India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI preview
In the 2nd ODI, India, batting first, rode on KL Rahul's century and put 284 runs on the board. In reply, New Zealand lost two early wickets, but Darly Mitchell's century overshadowed KL Rahul's effort.
Eventually, New Zealand pulled off a seven-wicket win and are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI. India, on the other hand, had a few concerns and are likely to make a couple of changes following the criticism after an underwhelming performance.
Therefore, this article will shed light on India’s probable playing XI for the 3rd ODI against New Zealand.
Top Order: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer
No changes in top-order, but Shreyas Iyer under fire
India will not make any changes to their top-order as Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma have been effective as an opening pair. Notably, the duo stitched a 70-run opening stand in the first ODI.
Further, the duo has 2334 runs in 39 innings, averaging 62.2. Further, Virat Kohli will bat at No.3. The chase-master registered a rare failure in the 2nd ODI and would look to get back among records. The right-handed batter has scored 116 runs in two innings, averaging 58.00.
Interestingly, Shreyas Iyer is under fire because he is playing his first series since recovering from spleen injury, sustained in Australia. Talking about Iyer's record, the 31-year-old has scored just 57 runs in two innings. Iyer missed out on a fifty in the opening game and slammed 49 (47). Further, the 31-year-old got out cheaply for 8 (17) in 2nd ODI.
Middle Order: KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ayush Badoni
Ayush Badoni likely to make India debut replacing NKR
KL Rahul smashed a century in the 2nd ODI and pulled India out of slump against the Kiwis. He will bat ahead of Ravindra Jadeja, who is struggling for form. Notably, Jaddu has slammed just 31 runs in 2 innings, averaging just 15.50.
Interestingly, Jadeja is still wicketless in the series. However, India lack a suitable replacement for Jadeja, which is why the southpaw face no danger to his place going into the 3rd ODI.
Coming to Nitish Kumar Reddy, the star all-rounder has been under-utilised so far. In the 2nd ODI, NKR amassed just 20 (21) and bowled just two overs in the match. Therefore, it is likely that Ayush Badoni might make his India debut in the do-or-die game.
Notably, India might look to strengthen their batting depth, which is why Badoni can replace Nitish Reddy. Further, Badoni can also ship with a few overs of spin.
Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
Arshdeep Singh likely to replace Prasidh Krishna
India bowlers have struggled in the series so far and one seamer, who has particularly failed to read the game is Prasidh Krishna. The right-arm seamer has three wickets in two innings and has a strike-rate of 36, which is an area of concern for India.
Further, Arshdeep Singh's exclusion has already drawn immense criticism and there is no valid reason why Singh is warming the bench. Therefore, the left-arm seamer is likely to return to the playing XI for the do-or-die game.
Kuldeep Yadav, who had a terrible 2nd ODI, will also retain his place because of lack of spinners in the team. Further, Siraj and Harshit Rana have done their part so far in the series to have a place in the 3rd ODI.
India' s likely playing XI for 2nd ODI vs New Zealand
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ayush Badoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
