New Zealand opt to bat; India forced to leave out Dhoni but Pandya comes back
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat first in what could be a series-deciding third ODI at Mount Maunganui on Monday.
India have rolled over New Zealand in the first two ODIs and they would look to seal the series. However, the toss can become a factor because the pitch - the same one used for the 2nd ODI - may get slower as the day progresses.
As far as the playing XIs are concerned, there is a major surprise from the Indian camp. MS Dhoni has been left out because of a hamstring niggle which will provide Dinesh Karthik with a chance to don the gloves in an ODI after a long time. The other one was on the expected lines. Hardik Pandya was straight away drafted into the side in place of Vijay Shankar to take over the all-rounder's spot. Astonishingly, Pandya will play his first ODI for India since he picked up that injury in Asia Cup last year in September. He is coming off after a lot of turmoil in both personal and professional after being slapped with a suspension for his inappropriate remarks in a non-cricketing TV show.
Virat Kohli stressed on getting those extra few runs towards the end and asked the middle order to push more.
"We were quite satisfied, still it's the middle overs, setting a target we would like to improve on. I personally would like to get the scoring rate up. In the last game, we could've got to 340," said Kohli at toss time.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have made one change to their playing XI. Mitchell Santer has been brought back into the side in place of Colin de Grandhomme.
"The spin throughout the series has been effective. This pitch will also help the spinners I guess. There has been glimpses, we need to get some partnerships with the bat and need to step up. We do know that If we play our best cricket, we can beat anybody. It's important we execute our plans as best as we can," said Williamson.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
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