India v New Zealand, 3rd T20I - India Predicted XI

Team India were certainly aback by the visiting New Zealand side in the second T20I of the three-match ongoing bilateral series. The Kiwis put on a complete performance in the Rajkot game to level the series. Their effort came after the hosts had thoroughly dominated the first match of the series in Delhi. With both teams competing in sublime form, the action now moves to Trivandrum for the decider.

The hosts will be a little concerned since their top order failed to click in the match. They have been heavily relying on the services of their captain Virat Kohli in the batting order. Kohli, who scored a fighting 65 in the previous game as well, was a lone ranger for the hosts in the match as they succumbed to a relatively big defeat.

Coming to Trivandrum, the stakes would be high. The visitors escalated to the number one ranking in the ICC T20I rankings and hence, would take some serious confidence coming in to the game. For the hosts, they will be a little battered, but then, considering the recent form that they have had, they should back themselves to continue their winning run.

Here we look at the India Predicted XI for the match:

Openers (Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan)

The Indian openers had a very troubled time in the previous game. Both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were undone by the pace and precision of Trent Boult in the match. However, this does not take anything away from the most successful Indian opening pair of the recent times. Both Dhawan and Rohit had an exceptional outing in Delhi where they had scored identical 80 in the match.

Moreover, they had added 158 run for the opening stand in the match – the highest ever T20I partnership for the Indian team. They were the chief architects of the Delhi win. They are likely to retain their respective slots for the match.

Middle-Order (Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer)

Indian skipper Virat Kohli was arguably the best batsman for the team in the previous game. Till the time he was at the crease, team India had their hopes intact. His departure was the last nail in the coffin for the team. He scored 65 in the match and will be willing to continue his good run with the bat in the final match too.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who had made his debut in this series, is likely to get another go in the final match. After not getting an opportunity to bat on his debut, he got a chance in the previous game. He looked good when he hit three fours initially. However, the struggle began after that which eventually ended up seeing him getting dismissed in the 20s.

Wicket-keeper (MS Dhoni)

Wicket-keeper MS Dhoni was heavily trolled after the defeat in the previous game. He was accused of not playing according to the situation and blocking deliveries at a time the team needed big shots. But little did people notice that he had arrived at the crease when the asking rate was close to 13. It is never easy to go all guns blazing rightaway. In any case, Dhoni will be keen on improving his game in the final match.

All-rounder (Hardik Pandya)

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was a star for the Indian team not so long ago. He was seen as someone who can come and hit big sixes rightaway. However, in the last two matches, he has scored the worst of the numbers that a batsman would like to see against his name. He would be itching to get back to form in the coming decider at Trivandrum.

Spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav)

The spin department is likely to see a change in the final game of the series. Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal has been in the playing eleven for the first two matches. He is likely to retain his place in the side for the final match as well. He had picked a solitary wicket in the previous game and had given away 36 runs in 4 overs. He would want to improve on the economy rate.

Albeit Axar Patel has not done much wrong in the recent past in the limited opportunities that he has got, he might make way for Kuldeep Yadav in the playing eleven. Axar gave away as many as 39 runs in the previous game in the 3 overs that he bowled. He could not offer any competition to the Kiwi batsmen on the day.

Pace bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj)

The pace bowling department looks set for the team India. The previous game was a rare occasion when they leaked runs in the initial overs. However, as skipper Virat Kohli rightly mentioned after the game, the opposition could have scored a lot more runs had Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar not pulled things back in time in the final stages of the innings.

Both Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have been key death overs prospects for the Indian team. Both bowlers have had decent form in the recent past and that makes them certain starters for the game. The third pacer in the team is likely to be Mohammad Siraj.

It is very unlikely that the team will drop their tactics of playing 5 bowlers after having just one bad game. Moreover, Siraj, who had a forgettable debut, certainly deserves another chance in the series to cover things up for himself.