India have made a couple of changes for the third ODI at The Bay Oval in Maunganui with an in-form MS Dhoni sitting out with a sore hamstring and Vijay Shankar making way. Dhoni has been replaced by the second wicket keeping option in Dinesh Karthik while Shankar has paved way for Hardik Pandya – who is returning from a suspension.
Pandya had been suspended for his comments on TV show ‘Koffee with Karan’ where his derogatory comments towards women had BCCI pulling up the all rounder. He had missed the Australia ODI series and the first two ODIs against New Zealand. However, the suspension was lifted last week which meant he has been brought back in immediately.
India captain Virat Kohli confirmed the changes at the toss. “MS [Dhoni] has got a sore hamstring, Karthik comes back. Hardik comes in place of Vijay Shankar,” said Kohli.
“It’s brilliant, especially if you look at our away performances. It’s great to have two guys (Kuldeep and Chahal) who can pick wickets in the middle overs. They are one of the main reasons why we have been playing consistent cricket,” he went on to add in praise of the Indian wrist spinners who have taken 12 of 20 wickets in the first two ODIs.
India and New Zealand are playing the third ODI at the same venue as the second where India scored 324 runs. “Under the lights, we felt the ball came on better. We were quite satisfied, I personally would like to get the scoring rate up. In the last game, we could’ve got to 340,” felt the skipper.
As far as New Zealand are concerned, they’ve made just one change. Mitchell Santner has been brought in to replace Colin de Grandhomme for the must-win game. The hosts had won the toss and opted to bat. “Looks like a good surface, a used surface so hopefully we can make use of the first hour. One change for us. Santner comes in for Colin de Grandhomme,” said Kane Williamson at the toss.
“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,” he went on to add.
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
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
