India vs New Zealand 2019 | India’s predicted XI for the third ODI in Mount Maunganui

Openers 

Shikhar Dhawan: Here is a cricketer who bats against the legspinner with absolute disdain and against pacers, he is second to none. His only problem in limited-overs cricket is off-spin and if he can avoid Mitchell Santner, if he plays, then India will be sorted for a long haul. Mount Maunganui’s short boundaries were a delight for Delhi boy too.

Rohit Sharma: The missed century in the second ODI would have given Rohit a lot of pain. He was simply in his zone, was batting with his template, and had already shifted gear too. But at a wrong time, he played a bouncer incorrectly to give away his wicket. He is at times a prized wicket for the opposition and the Kiwis will be baying for his blood. 

Middle-order 

Virat Kohli: 46, 46, 43 - something is not right with the numbers nowadays. For the third consecutive time, the Indian skipper was dismissed in the 40s and it is something that wouldn’t make him happy for sure. More than the runs, the manner of the dismissal was also a worrying trend as he failed to counter the bouncers effectively.

Ambati Rayudu: Had it not been the World Cup year, Rayudu would have already been shown the exit door. He had been an erratic performer ever since he landed in the Australian continent and despite scoring a 40 in the last game, India demand more mature display from him in the third game.

MS Dhoni: The former Indian skipper has wonderfully reinvented himself in 2019 after a forgettable 2018 and India will want him to continue doing the good work. His stumping of Ross Taylor was of another level and with that, he made sure that he still has it in him to be the force that modern-day cricket needs.

All-rounder

Kedar Jadhav: Apart from being the stabiliser in the middle-over and finisher in the death overs while batting, Kedar Jadhav has also one more role to do. So far, he has been donning the role of middle-over container role to perfection and will be a big asset for the team tomorrow as well.

Hardik Pandya: The last one month was a forgettable one for Hardik Pandya who was under severe criticism for his comments on “Koffee with Karan” and was duly suspended from the Indian team. However, his return means that Vijay Shankar would have to sit out of the game despite having been a good performer so far.

Spinners

Yuzvendra Chahal: With two matches, Chahal put all the doubts to rest and proved that he can be the strike bowler as well alongside Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs. New Zealanders had a very tough time understanding Chahal so far and he will try to bank on the same to get the team down the line once again.

Kuldeep Yadav: Such has been the magnificence of his partnership with Yuzvendra Chahal that it has led many batsmen to doubt the basic purpose of batsmanship. Easily can be compared to the way Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis haunted the opposition by revealing with each other’s success for the most parts of their careers. 

Pacers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: From being the holding bowler to Jasprit Bumrah, to being the pace spearhead of this line-up, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s role in the Indian team is a more diverse one. He has successfully lived up to it so far and in Mount Maunganui, he can do an encore of it.

Mohammed Shami: What Mohammed Shami has is raw pace and the ability to swing both ways. It is an extremely important trait to have in conditions like New Zealand where small boundaries took a toll on bowlers. Shami will use the match as an opportunity to keep him in the scheme of things for the World Cup this year.

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