The New Zealand vs India 3rd T20I will be played today at Wellington Regional Stadium in the national capital of Wellington. Today, we will look at the predicted playing XI for this game.
This series stands at the precipice of an early conclusion. India have scratched and clawed their way to victory in the first two T20s and are now just one win away from snatching the series. As for the hosts, they now need to win all three of the remaining matches to lift the trophy.
With this arguably being the most important match of the series between two of the best international cricket teams in the world, which players the teams choose to play becomes ever so crucial. So here, we will look at IND vs NZ predicted 11 for the 3rd T20I.
IND vs NZ Predicted 11: New Zealand
Let’s start with the hosts. New Zealand, despite having lost both games so far, would not consider themselves too behind in this series. Both the matches they lost were neck and neck for the most part, and the coin could have flipped either way.
The first T20I was a high-scoring extravaganza, with the BlackCaps scoring 225 and Men in Blue chasing it down. The New Zealand batting department did well in that game. Openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen gave the team a solid start, Daryl Mitchell at No. 3 made some decent runs, and Glenn Phillips at No. 4 was the start of the show.
The surprise inclusion of Bevon Jacobs in the squad proved correct, as he made some quick runs at the death. The next two batters are also the two frontline spinners and all-rounders of this team – Michael Bracewell and skipper Michell Santner.
It was the fast bowling department, including all-rounder Nathan Smith and the frontline pace trio of Matt Henry, Adam Milne, and Lockie Ferguson, who were belted six ways to Sunday and essentially lost the game for their team.
So, after a close encounter in the first match, in the second T20, the Kiwis made a single change in their starting line-up. In came pacer Jacob Duffy in place of Adam Milne.
The matches were played on the same ground in Christchurch, but on two very different pitches. So the comparative performance between Milne and Duffy is not as easy as just comparing the numbers.
But, on a completely subjective scale, Duffy was far more effective in the powerplay as compared to what Milne did in the first T20I. And as a result, he must keep his place in the lineup for the third T20I as well. This means IND vs NZ predicted 11 for New Zealand in the third T20I, which will be the same as that of the second match, which is
Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson.
IND vs NZ Predicted 11: India
We now come to India, who are flying high after winning the first two matches of a five-game series on foreign soil. However, they must remember how close both of those matches were and how quickly the momentum can shift in this one.
The defending T20 World Champions fielded a familiar batting lineup in the first T20I. Sanju Samson opened alongside Abhishek Sharma, and the two openers gave the team a solid start. At No. 3 came Tilak Varma, who was promoted from otherwise being a No. 5 batter. Tilak was out cheaply in this match.
Team captain Shreyas Iyer stepped in at No. 4. Ishan Kishan was dropped down to No. 5 as part of some combination experimentation. Despite being in great form this year, he was out cheaply in the match.
The all-rounder trio of Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, and Nitish Kumar Reddy were next. The Indian pace-bowling trio included the returning Bhuvneshwar Kumar, veteran T20I bowler Arshdeep Singh, and youngster Mayank Yadav.
Bhuvi did not make a mark in the match on a flat deck; Arshdeep was not on his best either; and Mayank was the best of a poor bunch, taking a wicket and being the one with the lowest economy.
So naturally, Mayank Yadav was benched for the second game, and in came Prince Yadav. Prince was quite impressive in the second T20I. He kept the pressure on at key moments and even took a crucial wicket of Finn Allen.
But that was not the biggest change India made in this game. India shifted Tilak Varma down to No. 6, even lower than his usual spot. But Kishan did not move back to the No. 3 spot; instead, he was replaced by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
On a challenging track, the opening duo of Samson and Abhishek struggled, so Sooryavanshi came out to bat fairly early, in the fifth over.
Vaibhav struggled a lot in his brief time at the crease. He was beaten multiple times and ultimately made just four runs in eight deliveries. Despite a poor start, the Indian Cricket Team went on to win this match on the back of a stellar half-century by Tilak Varma and crucial support by Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Now, the question is, what playing 11 will India field in the third T20I? Well, Prince Yadav showed why he should be in the team, being the side’s best-performing pacer in the second T20I.
As for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, he and Ishan Kishan both underperformed in their singular appearances in this series. Bringing the 15-year-old in the second game of a five-match series was a questionable decision by head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, now that he is in, removing him after one match would be downright unfair.
And so, here is the likely Indian predicted 11 for the upcoming match –
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
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