India will take on New Zealand in the final T20I of the ongoing three-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The series is currently level at 1-1, and the winner of this match will end up claiming the coveted trophy along with bragging rights.
The hosts lost the first T20I by 21 runs as their batters and bowlers failed to deliver impactful performances. Only Washington Sundar stood out with his all-round show, as he claimed two wickets and also scored a fifty, but even that wasn’t enough to get them over the line. India’s performance in the second match turned out to be much better though. The deck turned out to be a controversial one as it turned and gripped right from the beginning of the match. Scoring was difficult on it and that’s why New Zealand could only score 99/8 in their 20 overs.
India found it difficult to score on that track as well but the batters held their nerves and tip-toed their way to the target of 100, reaching it with just two deliveries and six wickets to spare. The deck in Ahmedabad, however, is expected to be much better for batting, and thus a fair contest between bat and ball can be anticipated. New Zealand fought hard in the last game even after posting such a low total and that tells a lot about the quality of the team. With the series at stake, the Kiwis are expected to put up a strong fight in this match again.
Probable Playing XIs
India
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
New Zealand
Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner
Top Picks
Washington Sundar: The all-rounder has a fifty to his name in this series and has also picked up three wickets at an economy rate of less than six runs per over. He will be the player to watch out for in this match once again.
Devon Conway: The top-order batter scored an excellent fifty in the first match of the series. Moreover, he has an excellent batting record in T20Is for New Zealand. So, he can be backed to deliver here once again.
Prediction
Although New Zealand have a pretty strong squad at their disposal and won the first T20I as well, the Indian team is better in terms of quality in all departments. That was visible in the way they won the last match on a tough pitch, and that’s why India are expected to win this contest convincingly, once again.
