New Zealand vs India, 3rd ODI, Preview - Tourists aim on evading a series whitewash as Kane Williamson's return looms large

It’s incredible to think how a difference in format can lead to a sweeping change of fortunes. Little more than a week ago, New Zealand were unable to decode the formula of beating India. They couldn’t have envisioned a start as disastrous as losing five matches on the bounce in T20Is.

New Zealand’s eleven men found new ways with each passing game to consign themselves to shattering losses. The turnaround wasn’t too far and the Kiwis stood tall above the ruins caused by injuries and chaos in the One-day international version.

And while the home side have received invaluable contributions from almost all the men in the series win, one player deserves a special accolade. It’s none other than Ross Taylor, who is the absolute heart of their batting line-up presently. His skills as a match-winner had come under scrutiny after failing to get them over the line in the last three T20s.

However, Taylor reinstated it in style by playing two very significant knocks of his career. It was all the more extraordinary, given the context of the two situations and how the veteran outlined those to suit the needs of the team.

How about the other men at their camp chipping in with the goods as priceless as Taylor’s? Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls blunted the esteemed bowling attack at the top with the expertise to make things easier for Taylor. Issues surface about Colin De Grandhomme’s form with the bat, but he nullified it through disciplined bowling spells and giving timely wickets in both the matches. And let’s not forget that Tom Latham‘s captaincy skills may have primarily reduced the pressure on the regular captain Kane Williamson.

And then there was Tim Southee. If two consecutive super over losses were what the seamer handed his side as the captain in T20Is, he defied illness and a giant bigger than that in Auckland – Virat Kohli during a run-chase in an ODI. It was the plan of going wide from the crease to bring the ball back in that got the better of the Indian captain. That brings us to Kyle Jamieson, the towering fast bowler, who on debut stunned the visitors with his all-round skills. And as Williamson’s return to the fold looms, Kiwis seem right on target for a series sweep of their own.

Meanwhile, as Kohli conceded that ODIs are not relevant as Tests and T20Is this year, it may well be relevant. At least ahead of the Test series that will follow. The men in blue have been pegged back largely in the 50-over games after blanking the Black Caps in the shortest format. While Rohit Sharma‘s absence at the top has hurt them, their selections have been questionable too.

Leaving out Mohammed Shami for the previous ODI may have cost India more than 70 runs due to the ninth-wicket partnership between Taylor and Jamieson. The selection of Kedar Jadhav wasn’t too questionable until Kohli’s refusal to bowl him when India needed to break the stand between Latham and Taylor badly in Hamilton. Even as the tourists consider making changes, they are yet to dismiss Taylor in two matches and the possibility of Williamson’s comeback could further torpedo their hopes of earning a consolation victory.

Playing Combinations:

New Zealand:

Despite his illness, Tim Southee made a significant impact in the second match by sending back Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav. Ish Sodhi, who has been recalled to the squad, could come in for him if he needs time to recover. Kane Williamson still remains under the injury cloud. Provided he is fit and ready to play, the 29-year old will likely replace Mark Chapman.

Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (WK), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner/Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee/Blair Tickner, Hamish Bennett, Kyle Jamieson.

India:

Virat Kohli conceded at the post-match presentation that they would consider carrying out changes for the dead rubber in Mount Maunganui. To begin with, Manish Pandey remains the frontrunner to replace Kedar Jadhav after the latter’s flop show in Auckland.

While Shardul Thakur indeed improved from the first match, he couldn’t make a significant impact in the death overs. Jasprit Bumrah, who has looked marginally off-colour in the first two games, could also be allowed a break before the two-Test series. One of them could pave the way for Mohammed Shami

Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami/Jasprit Bumrah.

Focus will be on:

Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand)

Man of the Match in Auckland Kyle Jamieson didn’t surprise with the ball as much as he stunned the tourists with the bat. At 197-8, when New Zealand seemed dead and buried, Jamieson joined hands with Taylor to put 76 for the ninth wicket to usher his side to 274. His handy knock of 25 consisted of one four and two sixes, especially hitting all three against Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best death bowlers presently.

The 25-year old brought his strongest suit into play, picking up the scalps of Prithvi Shaw and Navdeep Saini at crucial junctures. The towering pacer also troubled captain Kohli for most of the times during his stay at the crease. With Tim Southee having the possibility of missing the game, Jamieson would potentially take the new ball and be relied upon to make inroads more frequently.

Ravindra Jadeja (India)

Similar to the 2019 World Cup semi-final against the Kiwis, Ravindra Jadeja waged a lone fight against them on Saturday as well. But it followed an identical script as he fell short of the finish line due to the asking rate surmounting and losing partners at the other end.

Even with the ball, he ended up with figures of 10-0-35-1, the most economical amongst all the bowlers. Jadeja also affected a brilliant run-out to dismiss James Neesham at a very vital stage. At Mount Maunganui, the 31-year old would have to do a reprise in at least two facets for the tourists to evade a series whitewash.

Head to Head:

Played – 109 | Won by New Zealand – 48 | Won by India – 55 | Tied – 1 | No result – 5

Stat Attack:

2- India have won both their ODIs played at the Bay Oval against New Zealand. The winning margins have been a convincing 90 runs and seven wickets respectively.

62.55- Virat Kohli averages an astounding 62.22 in 25 matches against New Zealand.

142- Tim Southee is on 142 ODI caps presently. One more match will put him in level with Martin Crowe, who is on 143.

1- The win in Auckland sealed New Zealand’s first ODI series win against India since 2013-14.

Broadcast details:

TV – Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD

Live Streaming – Hotstar

Match Timings – 07:30 AM IST; 1:00 PM local