IND vs NZ Live, 3rd T20I: KL Rahul to be rested? The T20 series is already in the bag without Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli. Now, the aim for Rohit Sharma & Co is clean sweep over New Zealand, who might as well rest stand-in captain Tim Southee in the 3rd and final T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. For new coach Rahul Dravid, the last T20 will be an opportunity to test a few players including Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal while resting KL Rahul, who will be back in the Test series again. Follow India vs New Zealand Live Updates on InsideSport.in.
After their T20 World Cup disaster, Team India had a lot to work on. Resting and rotating players, getting the bench strength right and try out new combinations. So far in the two games, India have dominated all aspects. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul — captain and vice-captain — have led from the front while Ravichandran Ashwin has emerged as India’s best T20 spinner in the series.
IND vs NZ LIVE, T20: Series in bag, Rohit Sharma & Rahul Dravid ready to experiment in 3rd T20 against New Zealand – Follow Live Updates
IND vs NZ 3rd T20: India eyes clean sweep, Sourav Ganguly says ‘be careful of dew at Eden Gardens’
Now that the series is in the bag, a clean sweep is in order but giving opportunities to Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan will be an important task, especially considering all three have done enough to earn a place on India’s side.
IND vs NZ Live, 3rd T20: Who all could be rested?
- KL Rahul has been in bio-bubble long and is likely to be rested to keep him fresh for the Test series.
- Ishan Kishan could don the big gloves and could be given an opportunity in place of KL Rahul.
- Similarly, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel are all set to play important role in the Test series and one of them could be swapped in for Yuzvendra Chahal.
- Harshal Patel is set to keep his place after a Man of the Match performance on his debut.
- Avesh Khan is likely to be handed debut with Deepak Chahar missing out. He has been off-colour in the series.
- Rishabh Pant has been an important figure in all three formats but with the Test series coming, he could be rested for Ruturaj Gaikwad, the IPL 2021’s Orange Cap holder. If he does get an opportunity, he is likely to open with Rohit Sharma.
IND vs NZ LIVE, T20: Series in bag, Rohit Sharma & Rahul Dravid ready to experiment in 3rd T20 against New Zealand – Follow Live Updates
IND vs NZ Live, 3rd T20I: For coach Rahul Dravid, a dominant performance like this will also help him settle the nerves into the new role before the marquee Test series against the same rivals starting in less than a week’s time.
Having already won the series, Rohit Sharma and Dravid will now like to maintain a fine balance between winning and also trying out all their available resources to see how each and every individual is placed.
For New Zealand, it’s more about completing the assignment after a punishing schedule that will see them play five games (since T20 WC semi-final) in less than two weeks.
IND vs NZ Live, 3rd T20I: The inhuman scheduling means that a 0-3 defeat without the services of skipper Kane Williamson will bruise egos but not deflate them as results of bilaterals count very little in the long run.
IND vs NZ LIVE: Injured Mohd Siraj doubtful for 3rd T20I and Test series- Follow LIVE updates
IND vs NZ LIVE, T20: Series in bag, Rohit Sharma & Rahul Dravid ready to experiment in 3rd T20 against New Zealand – Follow Live Updates
For New Zealand, the real struggle had been between overs 15 to 20 when their batters haven’t been able to accelerate.
If India have clinched the series with ease, the reason had been below par Death Overs batting by the Kiwis and some fine bowling by Ashwin and company in back 10.
Eden is expected to be a batting beauty and in November, dew is undoubtedly going to make it easy for any team batting second.
IND vs NZ 3rd T20I: Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vc), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan, Mohd Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan
New Zealand: Tim Southee (captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert and Ish Sodhi
Editors pick
