After victories in the first two matches in Christchurch, India now travel to Wellington to take on their hosts in the third match of the five-game T20I series at the Hnry Stadium on Tuesday, October 27.
Against all odds, Shreyas Iyer’s men won the first two matches. Now, they enjoy a 2-0 lead in the series. If they succeed again, they will pocket the series and prevent the home team from ever making a comeback.
While their bowlers have been under a bit of pressure, India’s batters have delivered consistently. It was lower-order batter Naman Dhir who single-handedly won them the first match while Tilak Varma mastered the run-chase in the second.
For New Zealand, this game offers an opportunity to make a comeback in the series. This is a do-or-die encounter for the Kiwis, as a defeat will spell the death knell for their chances of making a recovery in this series.
Captain Mitchell Santner has discovered that spin worked well in Christchurch. However, it remains to be seen if their seamers can manage their workload in Wellington. Another bad news is that Matt Henry will not be available. Lockie Ferguson, too, will miss this match due to a workload management theory.
Predicted Teams
NZ: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner.
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Key Players
Michael Bracewell (NZ): The versatility that Michael Bracewell offers to the New Zealand squad in T20Is is unmatched. The all-rounder can be slotted to bat anywhere in the middle order. He can also contribute handsomely with the ball. With the bat, Bracewell is known for being able to both rotate the strike and take the aerial route. With the ball, meanwhile, his primary role is to get breakthroughs in the middle overs. He is not a big turner of the ball. Yet, Bracewell can get it to skid through and trouble batters who do not pick him off his release point. The off-spinner can be deployed inside the powerplay, too, especially against left-handers since he takes the ball away from their reach.
Tilak Varma (IND): After an underwhelming show in the first match in Christchurch, Tilak Varma showed why he is rated so highly in T20I cricket. The southpaw anchored India’s run chase of 180 in the second match and remained unbeaten on 51 off just 26 deliveries. Varma’s speciality is the fact that he is comfortable against both spin and pace, and can easily navigate the field set by New Zealand. Against seamers, the Hyderabadi brings out the cut and pull, and is known to be especially proficient when playing the upper cut over third man. Against spinners, Varma becomes ruthless while using his feet and coming down the pitch to loft them over long off and long on. His biggest strength is the fact that he plays with a straight bat on most occasions.
Match Prediction
India are the favourites to win this game and lift the series. Iyer’s men have responded well in these conditions, and despite their bowlers failing to make a mark, they have applied collective effort. Ishan Kishan remains sidelined with an injury. This means that youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will get another opportunity to make his mark. With the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Arshdeep Singh must take up the mantle, since they have a wealth of experience among them.
