A confident Indian side would aim to seal the series when they walk out to face in the 3rd T20I in Hamilton. After their convincing win in Aukland, Virat Kohli hinted that they would go in with the same playing condition, but on a flat Hamilton track, India could tweak their bowling combination. Here we take a look at India’s predicted XI for the 3rd India vs New Zealand match at Hamilton.
Rohit Sharma
The Indian batting has been sublime and powerful in the two matches so far, but Rohit Sharma has slipped under the radar and would want to correct this platform. He would now want to stand up and be counted at the top of the order.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul is India’s man in form and he is churning out runs on a consistent basis at the top of the order and these are turning out to be match-winning contributions. He would be expected to continue his prolific run of form.
Virat Kohli
The Indian captain has looked good in both the matches and now when the series is up for grabs, he would want to make a match-winning contribution. His captaincy has been good in the two matches so far, and the form of Kohli the batsman gets reflected in Kohli, the captain.
Shreyas Iyer
He is fast establishing himself as India’s number 4 in limited-overs cricket and this match will be another chance for him to further bolster his credentials.
Manish Pandey
India’s top order has been prolific in the two matches so far and hence, Manish Pandey has not been able show his pedigree, but the right-hander is a man in form and his presence adds depth and power to the Indian batting order.
Shivam Dube
His brawn adds a lot of panache to the Indian batting order and his ability to clear boundaries is the perfect addition for Virat Kohli. He has also been good with the ball in the limited opportunities he has got so far and this has rendered great balance to the side.
Ravindra Jadeja
He was the star with the ball in the last match and at Seddon Park, where the dimensions are far more uniform, Jadeja can be far more effective with his accuracy. And then, there is superb fielding and the value-addition he brings with the bat.
Mohammed Shami
After an expensive first match of the series, Shami came back brilliantly and adjusted his lines and lengths to put the lid on New Zealand. He has found his range even in the death overs and along with Bumrah, he forms a potent combination.
Yuzvendra Chahal
For all the praise the Indian fast-bowlers get, Yuzvendra tends to fly under the radar, but he has been very consistent in the middle overs and controls the phase beautifully for Kohli. His variations and game awareness makes it difficult for the batsmen to go after him and this only allows Kohli to have a grip on the proceedings.
Navdeep Saini
Shardul Thakur has not had the best series so far and this is where, India could go for the extra pace of Navdeep Saini. On a true Seddon Park surface, Saini with his pace can ruffle New Zealand’s batting order in the powerplays.
Jasprit Bumrah
In the first T20I match Shreyas Iyer was given player of the match, in the second one, KL Rahul was adjudged man of the match. Both these players played a stellar role and in T20Is, the dazzling strokeplay often gets the eyeballs, the accolades and the awards. And yet, there was Jasprit Bumrah doing Jasprit Bumrah things and he proved to be the difference between the sides.Eight overs, two fours, one six, 52 runs – these were his numbers in the two matches and on a pitch where the rest of the bowlers were at the mercy of the batsmen, Bumrah stood tall. His hop, skip and jump approach to the wicket followed by an assortment of deliveries and a sharp mind never allowed New Zealand to breathe.
