IND vs NZ 3rd ODI, Predicted XI: Will Umran Malik And Yuzvendra Chahal Get A Chance?
India and New Zealand 3rd ODI: India have already sealed the three-match series against New Zealand. In the third ODI, the hosts might be tempted to give some benched players a game.
India face New Zealand in the third and final ODI at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on Tuesday. The hosts have already taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the series after winning the first two games by margins of 12 runs and 8 wickets, respectively. With the series already in bag, India might be tempted to make changes in the playing XI to give some benched players a game. It will be really interesting to see whether India rope in Umran Malik and Yuzvendra Chahal in the XI or not.
Here is what we think could be India's playing XI for the third ODI against New Zealand:
Rohit Sharma (c): Skipper Rohit Sharma is having a decent run with the bat. He scored 34 in the first game and hit a dominating 51 in the second. However, the skipper would be keen to register a three-digit score in the third game.
Shubman Gill: Opener Shubman Gill has been in excellent form, having scored a sensational double hundred in the opener, followed by a 40-run knock in the low-scoring second ODI.
Virat Kohli: The right-handed batter's problem against left-arm spin has come to the fore once again as he has repeatedly gotten dismissed by Mitchell Santner. After notching three hundreds in four innings, the former skipper was dismissed cheaply in both the ODIs against New Zealand. With the World Cup just months away, Kohli would be keen for some much-needed course correction.
Ishan Kishan (wk): The southpaw has got limited opportunities in the series so far and failed to impress in those games. However, with Rishabh Pant out of the team due to injury, Kishan becomes a key player in Team India's ODI World Cup plans.
Suryakumar Yadav: In the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar was expected to provide some firepower at the back end. However, the premier T20 batter failed to do that in the series opener. In the second game, he didn't get a chance to bat.
Hardik Pandya: The right-handed all-rounder has been underwhelming with the bat of late. He has had a mediocre series against Sri Lanka and hasn't impressed against New Zealand yet.
Washington Sundar: The all-rounder has picked two wickets across two games. In the first match, the off-spinner was a bit costly with the ball by bowling at an economy of over seven, while in the second game, he was impressive with his performance.
Shardul Thakur: The right-handed fast-bowling all-rounder has performed decently with the ball in hand. In terms of batting, he is yet to make an impact in the series.
Yuzvendra Chahal: The leg-spinner has not got any chance in the ongoing three-match ODI series against New Zealand. India might be tempted to rest Kuldeep Yadav and give the leggie a run in the third game.
Mohammed Shami: The veteran pacer was decent with the ball in the first game, but he was the pick of the bowlers for India in the second ODI. Being a senior bowler in the team, Shami continues to handle his responsibility to lead the young pacers.
Umran Malik: India might look to give Umran a chance against New Zealand and Mohammed Siraj could be rested to vacate the place for the out-and-out fast bowler.
(With PTI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team
Rohit Sharma
Yuzvendra Chahal