India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I: Preview, stats, and more
India and New Zealand will face each other in the third and final T20I on Sunday. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the dead rubber. India gained an unassailable 2-0 lead after claiming a seven-wicket victory in the 2nd T20I in Ranchi. Nonetheless, the Black Caps would want to bounce back in the final encounter. Here is the match preview.
Why does it matter?
India have already sealed the T20I series by winning the first two games. They now have an opportunity to rout the Kiwis 3-0. This can be India's second consecutive clean sweep against New Zealand in T20Is. The Indians cleaned them up 5-0 in the five-match series last year. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has won his first T20I series as India's full-time captain.
Key details about the match
The match will be held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It will begin at 7:00 PM IST. The wicket on this venue has been lucrative for fast bowlers as they tend to gain movement. Besides, the spinners chip in too as the match progresses. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
International cricket returns to Eden Gardens after two years
India are set to play their first international game at the Eden Gardens since November 2019 (Day/Night Test vs Bangladesh). Moreover, India last played a T20I here in November 2018 when they defeated West Indies by five wickets.
India can bring in some more youngsters
India brought in Harshal Patel in place of injured Mohammed Siraj in the 2nd T20I. Patel was the Player of the Match, having taken two wickets (25 runs). Skipper Rohit might give nod to some more youngsters. Probable XI: KL Rahul, Rohit (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel.
Will New Zealand bring back Lockie Ferguson?
New Zealand skipper Tim Southee drafted Adam Milne, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi in placed of Lockie Ferguson, Rachin Ravindra and Todd Astle respectively in the 2nd T20I. It remains to be seen if NZ make any more alterations. Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Southee (c), Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Rohit Sharma eyes these milestones
Rohit is set to eclipse Virat Kohli's tally of 3,227 runs in T20I cricket. By doing so, the former will be only behind the leading run-scorer Martin Guptill (3,248). At present, Rohit has 3,141 runs at an average of 33.06 (4 tons, 25 half-centuries). He is set to play his 119th T20I, which will be the joint-second most with Mohammad Hafeez.
