India sits pretty with a 2-0 lead heading into the 3rd match. Both teams travel to Guwahati for the IND vs NZ 3rd T20 on January 25. One more win seals the series for India right here.
Team management might shuffle the IND vs NZ 3rd T20 Playing 11 around a bit. Two big changes seem likely despite the team crushing New Zealand easily twice. The T20 World Cup squad needs match practice for everyone available.
New Zealand desperately wants something positive from this game. Their bowling collapsed badly in the first two matches already. Kiwi bowlers leaked runs everywhere when India’s batsmen attacked hard.
Jasprit Bumrah Returns to Playing 11
Bumrah sat out the 2nd match to rest his body properly. He’s India’s best fast bowler by miles without any doubt. The IND vs NZ 3rd T20 will see Bumrah leading the pace attack again.
Arshdeep Singh might get benched when Bumrah walks back into the Playing 11. That’s tough on Arshdeep after bowling decently in the 2nd match. But team combination matters more than individual feelings during crucial series preparation.
Management wants their World Cup squad to get maximum game time before February 7. Every match helps players understand their roles better going forward. The next game at Guwahati becomes another opportunity for fine-tuning tactics.
Axar Patel’s Fitness Dilemma
Vice-captain Axar Patel missed the 2nd IND vs NZ T20 with an injury. His fitness will determine the squad significantly. Axar brings crucial balance with both bat and ball regularly.
| India | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | Devon Conway |
| Sanju Samson (WK) | Tim Seifert (WK) |
| Ishan Kishan | Rachin Ravindra |
| Suryakumar Yadav (C) | Glenn Phillips |
| Hardik Pandya | Mark Chapman |
| Rinku Singh | Daryl Mitchell |
| Shivam Dube | Mitchell Santner (C) |
| Axar Patel | Zachary Foulkes |
| Varun Chakravarthy | Matt Henry |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Ish Sodhi |
| Harshit Rana | Jacob Duffy |
Kuldeep Yadav bowled brilliantly in the 2nd match honestly. He grabbed two wickets while keeping runs tight throughout his spell. Other bowlers went for plenty, but Kuldeep held his line perfectly.
But Axar’s return might push Kuldeep out anyway unfortunately. Team management prefers having their vice-captain fit and ready always. The all-round option Axar provides outweighs Kuldeep’s pure spin skills currently.
The rest of the IND vs NZ Playing 11 stays unchanged most likely. India won’t mess with winning combinations too much before the 3rd match!
