IND vs NZ 2024: 3rd Test match preview
India will be desperate to revive their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign as they take on New Zealand in the third and final Test match at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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Visitors New Zealand (NZ) will be looking to whitewash the hosts India (IND) in the three-match Test series after winning the first two matches comprehensively in Bengaluru and Pune. The iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the third and final Test match, starting Friday, November 1.
Indian batters have been found wanting against pacers as well as spinners in this series. In the first innings of the first Test in Bengaluru, they were all at sea against the New Zealand seamers in overcast conditions and on a damp pitch. The hosts were bowled out for 46, the lowest total in Tests in Asia. They produced a solid batting effort in the second innings but only delayed the inevitable as New Zealand won only their third Test match on Indian soil and first in 36 years.
The second Test in Pune was dominated by the spinners. India wanted to restore parity in the series by using the troika of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. However, they were outdone by Mitchell Santner, with Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips playing supporting roles. Santner bagged 13 wickets in the Test to orchestrate a 113-run win for the Blackcaps. New Zealand took an unassailable 2-0 lead as India lost a home Test series after 12 years.
India need to win four out of their remaining six Test matches in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle to remain in contention for a third straight final appearance. Meanwhile, New Zealand have to win all four of their remaining matches to reach the summit clash. So, the third Test might be inconsequential as far as the series is concerned but certainly not in terms of the WTC.
Also Read: Reports: Virat Kohli focuses on tackling left-arm spin in practice session ahead of Mumbai Test
Indian batters will have to pull their socks up and come out with better plans against the New Zealand bowlers. Senior players like captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will have to step up for the home side. They have scored one half-century each in the series but have been very tentative and far from their best. Ashwin has not looked as threatening as has over the years in Indian conditions. Washington, however, did well in the second Test and would want to build on it.
Meanwhile, Rachin Ravindra is the leading run-getter in the series. The southpaw will want to continue his love affair with India. Devon Conway and Tom Latham returned to form in the second Test and that should give the Kiwis a lot of confidence as they look to etch their names into the history books.
Match Details
| Match | India vs New Zealand, 3rd Test |
| Date and Time | November 1-5, 9.30 am IST |
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Live Broadcast and Streaming Details | Sports18 Network and JioCinema (App and Website) |
Pitch Report
After the first two matches were played on black soil pitches, Wankhede Stadium is set to provide the red soil variant for the third encounter. India have demanded another spin-friendly track for this clash, which is a brave move after the Pune debacle. The toss will be crucial once again as the captain who wins it will have no hesitation in opting to bat first. Spinners could have a role to play from the first day itself and batting will only get tougher as the game progresses.
Head-to-Head Records
| Matches Played | 64 |
| India Won | 22 |
| New Zealand Won | 15 |
| Drawn / No-Result | 27 |
| First-ever Fixture | November 19–24, 1955 |
| Most-recent Fixture | October 24–26, 2024 |
India vs New Zealand Probable Playing XIs
India
With the conditions expected to be conducive for the spinners, India could ponder bringing in Axar Patel in place of Akash Deep to beef up the spin-bowling resources in the side. The latter didn't have much of a role to play on the spin-friendly track in Pune. He bowled just six overs and all of them were in the first innings. Axar can be lethal on a turning track and will offer more depth in India's batting.
Probable XI - Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Axar Patel.
Also Check: ‘It’s hurting, the hurt will make us better’ - Gautam Gambhir after series loss to New Zealand
New Zealand
Kane Williamson will miss this clash as well. New Zealand are expected to retain the same playing XI from the second Test. Ajaz Patel will have fond memories of playing at the Wankhede Stadium as he picked up 10 wickets in an innings in New Zealand's last Test at this venue in 2021. The left-arm spinner hasn't been at this best in the series but would want to bounce back in the financial capital of India.
Also Read - 'India are little bit shell-shocked' - Tom Blundell reflects on New Zealand's historic series win
Probable XI - Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke.
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