Cricket
IND VS NZ 3rd T20 Cricket Match: Will Suryakumar Yadav play yet another unbelievable innings or will anyone else chip in?
Updated : Nov 22, 2022, 11:26 AM IST | Edited by : Amrit Santlani
IND VS NZ | LIVE Updates, 3rd T20 Cricket Match
Suryakumar Yadav's sensational century guided Team India to a famous 65-run win over New Zealand on Sunday, and the two sides come face to face yet again in the final match of the series on Tuesday, at McLean Park in Napier.
Hardik Pandya's men registered their biggest win by run margin over Kane Williamson's side in the second match of the series, and they will be eager to seal the series by winning the third and final contest as well. Deepak Hooda also gave a good account of himself by picking up four wickets.
The Men in Blue have taken a 1-0 lead in the series, and if New Zealand win the final match of the series, it will be drawn as the first match was washed out due to rain. There were chances of rain in the second T20I as well, but thankfully the rain gods were merciful and the match finished in a win for the visiting team.
Pandya and Co will be hoping for a similar outcome on Tuesday as well, and they will be confident after SKY's century in the first match. Ishan Kishan also started well, but the only real concern at the moment is the form of Rishabh Pant. Hopefully, he can also acclaim a decent total in the final match of the series, while the Kiwis will be without Kane, who has some medical issue, and thus in his place, Tim Southee could be seen leading out the hosts.
READ| IND vs NZ: Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav enjoy 'scenic routes' in Napier, ahead of 3rd T20I
With the ODI series up next, the Indian players will be raring to finish things on a high and seal the series at Napier.
With a lot of speculation regarding Rohit Sharma's future, Hardik Pandya would only boost his credentials of landing T20 captaincy should he lead the young-Indian team to a clinical win on Tuesday. Having won the IPL with Gujarat Titans (GT), Pandya has already captained the side to a series win against Ireland, and a similar outcome on Tuesday would be a big personal and collective boost.
We'll be here running the live blog for the India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I, including ball-by-ball updates. For those who want to watch the match free of cost, it will be telecasted live on the DD Sports channel in India.
New Zealand are likely to make a changes or two to their playing XI, with Kane Williamson, set to miss out, while the remaining team may yet remain the same.
New Zealand's predicted playing XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson
With Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant starting as openers, Team India got off to a steady start, and the two southpaws could start again on Tuesday. Rest of the team may also look like the same as they lined up on Sunday with a good clinical display from all the boys.
India's predicted playing XI: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya (c), Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Fans of both India and New Zealand will be hoping that the weather remains clear and they'll be delighted to know that there's just 1% chance of rain in Napier on Tuesday, this rain is not expected to play spoilsport, which again means we're in for a treat.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson will miss the third T20I because of a pre-scheduled medical appointment, and in his place, Tim Southee may be seen leading out the Kiwis. Williamson was the highest-run scorer for his side on Sunday, contributing 60 runs and is likely to be a huge miss for the home side.
With a series win on the horizon, Hardik Pandya-led Team India would be licking their lips. After the heartbreak at the World Cup semifinals, both India and New Zealand wanted to return back to winning ways, but the Kiwis were disappointed on Sunday. They will be hoping to turn it around in the next game, but they can only draw the series with a win, but the Men in Blue can clinch the series.