Last Updated on 7 years by Charbel Coorey
India and New Zealand will face off in Thiruvananthapuram, for a winner-takes-all match.
After New Zealand returned serve with a thumping win in the T20I, here are 5 bold predictions that I think can happen in the deciding 3rd T20I.
Kane Williamson will score 50+
By Kane Williamson’s standards, it has been a relatively quiet tour.
His only score of note was his 64 in the 3rd ODI, where he looked good in a game which was also a decider. Kane Williamson is a big-game player and I expect him to step up here with a 50+ score. If he can do that, it can go a long way to helping New Zealand winning the match.
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| Kane Williamson will score a half-century |
Jasprit Bumrah will take 2+ wickets
The world’s number 1 T20I bowler went for only 23 runs in a score of 196.
Despite bowling so well, he went wicketless. I expect him to have a little more luck this time and take at least a couple of wickets in his four overs.
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| Jasprit Bumrah will have more luck in the 3rd T20I |
Virat Kohli will score less than 25
Kane Williamson is a big-game player, and so is Virat Kohli.
However, Virat Kohli has been performing so consistently lately, and this could be the game where he doesn’t quite match his recent performances. With New Zealand hitting great bowling form in the 2nd T20I, I think this is the night where things don’t go quite as planned for Virat Kohli.
Perhaps something has to give after scores of 121,29, 113, 26* and 65. Can he prove me wrong?
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| Is this the game Virat Kohli gets a low score? |
Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi will take 3+ wickets between them
These two looked good once again in the 2nd T20I, taking 2/56 between them in 8 overs.
In the 3rd T20I, I expect Santner and Sodhi to give India some headaches and take at least 3 wickets between them. This can go a long way to helping New Zealand winning, as this will force India to take runs off the likes of Trent Boult and Adam Milne.
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| Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi will both have a good match |
New Zealand will win by less than 20 runs/2 overs to spare
This is a controversial prediction for sure, considering India’s limited-overs form in recent times, especially at home.
However, I think New Zealand would have taken a lot of confidence from the 2nd T20I, as well as how well they played in the ODI series. I think they will sneak home in a tight match and take the series 2-1.
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Are there any predictions you agree/disagree with? Leave a comment, and let’s have a cricket discussion! There is no better discussion to have….
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