🏏India vs NZ, 3rd ODI - Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore - 24/01/23 🏏

🏏India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI - Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on 24/01/2023 at 1:30PM IST 🏏

First of all, let us congratulate KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty for their wedding yesterday.  Wishing them all the very best for the new chapter in their lives as a married couple. 🥳 

Now back to the game's preview.....

Now that India have already secured the series, the focus on the final ODI appears to dwindle with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the horizon. However, when the game does eventually get underway, things might change given it is set to be played in Indore - a venue that has gained reputation for being a batting beauty and is now set to host some elite stroke-makers. Just over three months ago, South Africa and India played out a T20I in which Rilee Rossouw smashed a 48-ball 100. In total, the ball sailed over the ropes 27 times on that night.

Can that be replicated? Or even be topped given this is a 50-over contest? One cannot rule that out given both teams scored over 300 in both the innings in the first ODI. More importantly, the visitors would hope for a better batting display from their top order that hasn't fired so far in the series.

Finn Allen is yet to make a mark in the ODI format. Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell have been amongst the runs but didn't make an impression in these two games. Henry Nicholls hasn't done himself any favours as well in place of Kane Williamson. They probably won't get a better opportunity to get back amongst the runs despite the fact that their confidence would have been shaken after the second game. There's also a T20I series that's coming up so a good showing here will keep them in good stead ahead of those three games.

From an Indian perspective, there were calls for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to skip this game and play a Ranji fixture instead ahead of the Tests against Australia. While the suggestion was indeed quite intriguing, it hasn't materialized. Kohli in particular might want to improve his record against left-arm spin after falling to Mitchell Santner twice in two games. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav didn't get an opportunity in Raipur to make a mark but a run-fest in Indore might bring them into the limelight.

Holkar Cricket Stadium Pitch Report: The wickets at the Holkar Cricket Stadium are known to be batter friendly thanks to the even bounce and smaller boundaries. The most recent international match hosted at the venue is a testament of that as South Africa scored 227 in a T20I against India, who also scored 178 in response. Pace bowlers have enjoyed some success, but bowlers may have to work hard to keep the scoring in check.

Pitch and conditions: Another run-fest in Indore?

What do you expect on a small ground with a quick outfield and possibly a flat pitch? You don't have to answer. The decision to bowl first after winning the toss will also be likely given the chance of dew once the sun sets. The ground staff will employ anti-dew spray but that's unlikely to change the toss decision.

Indore Weather Forecast: The weather forecast for Tuesday (January 24) indicates a little warm afternoon followed by cooler conditions in the evening with max temperature of 28o C reducing to a minimum temperature of 13o C during the playing hours. There is no threat of rain on the match day or the days leading up to the match.

Team news: Will India give Chahal a chance? Will NZ make changes?

Having won the series, India could try some other players on Tuesday. Yuzvendra Chahal, who played just one ODI against Sri Lanka, could come in for Kuldeep Yadav. But it remains to be seen if India will try out Rajat Patidar or Shahbaz Ahmed, who are hardly in the running for the World Cup, or continue to give game time to their first-choice players to give them more confidence before the big event at home. Umran Malik could come in for Mohammed Siraj or Mohammed Shami - taking Shardul Thakur's place would deplete the batting - but that would mean opening the bowling with Hardik because Malik usually comes on as first change.

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ishan Kishan (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 and 11: two out of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik

Ish Sodhi missed the opener with an ankle injury and barely trained with the team on Monday in the nets. New Zealand do not need a third spinner on the small ground in Indore but could give a game to Doug Bracewell or Jacob Duffy. They could also change their top five a little by bringing in Mark Chapman, who scored a 74-ball century in his last ODI.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Henry Nicholls/Mark Chapman, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Doug Bracewell/Henry Shipley/Jacob Duffy, 10 Blair Tickner, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Today’s Match Prediction: India to win the match

India (IND) vs New Zealand (NZ) Head-to-Head:

Overall - 115 | India - 57 | New Zealand - 50 | Tied - 1 | N/R - 7

In India:

Overall - 37 | India - 28 | New Zealand - 8 | Tied - 0 | N/R - 1

Probable Best Performers from IND vs NZ

Probable best batter: Rohit Sharma (India)

India skipper Rohit Sharma seems to be clicking at the right time even though he is getting out after being well-set in the middle. Rohit has shown signs of consistency in his performances in this month’s home ODI series. In fact, he scored a match-winning half-century in the last game chasing 108. Apart from scoring a 50-ball 51, the ‘Hitman’ was also involved in a 72-run opening stand with Shubman Gill.

Probable best bowler: Mohammed Shami (India)

Senior pacer Mohammed Shami would once again be expected to prove his mettle with the ball in hand like he had done in the previous game with a match-winning three-wicket haul. Shami blew away the New Zealand top-order in his opening spell before accounting for a well-set Michael Bracewell in his second spell to finish with figures of 3/18 including a maiden.

In the spotlight: Suryakumar Yadav and Devon Conway

Suryakumar is on several former players' and commentators' wishlists for the World Cup later this year. But where does he fit in? Once everyone is available, Virat Kohli slots in at No. 3, Iyer at 4, and Hardik Pandya at 6, leaving only No. 5. Going on current form, that slot goes to Rahul along with the keeping gloves. But Suryakumar's red-hot form in T20s and even the two Ranji Trophy games he played recently have earned him a few ODIs in the lead-up to the big event later this year, but time is also running out for him. He scored 31 off 26 in the first ODI and didn't get to bat in the second, and who knows, he may not get another ODI after this series - they play three against Australia in March - before the IPL arrives. What can he do in this one game to impress the selectors and the team management?

Conway was in prolific form in Pakistan before he crossed the border. He scored 91 and 122 in the Tests followed by a century and a half-century in the ODIs to average 51 and take the Player-of-the-Series award. So far on this tour he has faced just 16 balls in each of the two ODIs while falling to pace, but he would want to spend more time in the middle before the teams switch to T20Is. Apart from the experience of Latham, Conway is the name in the top order New Zealand could look to for both quick runs and stability.

Stats and trivia

Since the ODI rankings began in October 2002, there have only been five instances when the team that began a bilateral series as No. 1 was whitewashed in a series of three or more matches. A loss for New Zealand will make it the sixth such instance.

If New Zealand lose, it will be the third time India have whitewashed them in an ODI series. India won 5-0 in 2010 and 4-0 in 1998-99 (one match of the five-match series was a no-result).

Virat Kohli's scoring has oscillated from one extreme to another in recent ODIs. His scores since December read: 11, 8, 166*, 4, 113, 113, 5 and 9.

Shardul Thakur needs three more wickets to reach 50 in ODIs.

It won't happen on Tuesday but Rohit Sharma is closing in on the 10,000-run mark in ODIs. He needs 319 more.

"Have you ever been to Indore? On my first visit there, for the Ranji Trophy final in 2017-18, I was served poha by the hotel I was staying at five days in a row! But that was in stark contrast to the variety of food the city serves - right from Chhappan Dukaan to Sarafa Bazaar, a resplendent night market which serves the kind of food you can't even imagine. Like its food, Indore also serves runs to its visitors and hosts alike. In the last international game here, Rilee Rossouw hammered a 48-ball match-winning century for South Africa. This might be an ODI, a dead rubber, but runs will likely be served again. Hello and welcome to our coverage of the third ODI between India and New Zealand, I'm Vishal Dikshit, and we'll all be joined by Sidharth Monga soon".

Deivarayan Muthu has gone from Hyderabad to Raipur and landed in Indore. And he chimes in straightaway: Washington Sundar is currently making his run-up. Yuzvendra Chahal, who had a shoulder complaint during the SL series and didn't bowl much at the nets ahead of the first two ODIs against NZ, had a longer stint at the Indore nets on the eve of the third ODI. At the NZ nets, Ish Sodhi is in action, and is looking in decent rhythm after having missed the first two ODIs in Hyderabad and Raipur with an ankle injury sustained in Karachi.

Lalit Jain: "India will have two changes today, I think so." It's possible, if Rohit can remember those changes.

Team changes: the toss is 10 minutes away and unlike in Raipur, where both teams went unchanged, my guess is both teams will bring in some new players. Let's see if the wristspinners Chahal and Sodhi are fit, if quicks Umran Malik, Jacob Duffy or Doug Bracewell get a chance. Until then, you can read the preview here.

RajatMaheshwari: "India should go with the same XI to give these guys a long run and it looks a bit odd that this Indian team looks a well-oiled machinery barring wrapping up the tail, never losing a game considering there are few spots yet to be filled for the best XI and they haven't played much together particularly in this format. Hope Ishan and SKY comes out good and make a strong case for themselves before Iyer and KL comes in! In for a run-fest :)!"