In a crucial series decider, India and New Zealand face off at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, with the series level at 1-1. India won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision influenced by the ground's reputation as a high-scoring venue. This contest is particularly significant as India aims to maintain its strong home record in ODI series, having not lost one since March 2019. New Zealand, on the other hand, seeks their first-ever ODI bilateral series win in India.
All eyes are on the Indian batting lineup, especially Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, although Kohli has a rather dismal record at this venue. Despite the series being level, some observers suggest that New Zealand's second-string team has performed slightly better than the Indian side, which has been inconsistent. India's top order has managed to get starts but has failed to convert them into significant scores.
India has made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Arshdeep Singh in place of Prasidh Krishna. This decision comes after questions were raised about Arshdeep's exclusion from the first two ODIs, especially with Prasidh Krishna proving to be expensive. The inclusion of Arshdeep Singh is expected to bolster the bowling attack, particularly given his variations.
Playing XI:
- India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
- New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (c), Mitchell Santner, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox.
The Holkar Stadium in Indore is known for its batting-friendly pitch and short boundaries. The average first innings score here is 331, and India has previously posted scores of 385 and 399 at this venue. Given these conditions, a high-scoring match is anticipated, placing emphasis on the adaptability of both teams' bowling attacks.
Match Details:
- Time: 1:30 PM IST. The toss took place at 1:00 PM IST.
- Venue: Holkar Stadium, Indore.
- Live Broadcast: Star Sports Network.
- Live Streaming: JioHotstar.
Arshdeep Singh made an immediate impact, dismissing Henry Nicholls for a golden duck in the first over. However, Jadeja dropped a difficult catch off Conway's bat in the same over.
With the series on the line, both teams are expected to come out firing, making this a potentially thrilling contest.
