Last Updated on 3 days by Charbel Coorey

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A week ago, one wondered where New Zealand’s next win was coming from. After blowing at least two wins in their 5-0 loss in the T20Is, as part of eight straight defeats across formats, it remained to be seen how the Black Caps would fare against a side they lost 4-1 against a year ago.

But, fast forward seven days, and New Zealand have reminded us of their fighting quality. While India had some regulars out, so did the Black Caps, particularly in their bowling attack. But, the experience of Tim Southee and Ross Taylor, coupled with the exciting all-round ability of Kyle Jamieson, shone through, Now, New Zealand have the chance to inflict a whitewash of their own.

India, boasting one of the finest ODI records over the past decade, still have unanswered questions about their lineup. If it’s not the number four slot then it’s numbers five and six. If it’s not the middle order then it’s the make up of their bowling attack. Of course, this is no time to panic, but failing to nail down their plans hurt them at the last World Cup; they need to look at how they will rectify this over the coming years.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Kane Williamson is set to return for this match, that too at his home ground – Mount Maunganui.
• He has two fifties in five ODIs on this ground, but will be keen to build on his average of 37.20.
• Martin Guptill hit some form last game (79). He has the most runs in ODIs on this ground (347), but scored just 15 and 13 here vs India last year.
• Ross Taylor has stepped up big time for New Zealand this series. He is yet to be dismissed (109* and 73*) and has gone past Virat Kohli as the highest run-scorer in NZ-India ODIs out of active players (1,373).
• Virat Kohli usually takes things like that personally. He has scored double figures in each of his last 10 innings across formats, with no century. He will be keen for one here to build on his 1,369 runs vs NZ at 62.22.
• Shreyas Iyer has gone a long way to locking down the number four spot for India (103 and 52).
• Henry Nicholls didn’t play as fluently as he would have liked last game. However, his last five scores in white-ball cricket have been excellent: 120, 62, 55, 78 and 41.
• KL Rahul’s failure last game hurt India. When he does well, India usually do well, too. Before that, he has scores of 56, 57*, 27, 39, 45 (T20Is) and 88* (1st ODI).
• Tom Latham enjoys playing spin, and will be keen for a platform to play off. For India, Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw have a final opportunity this series to impress at the top.
• James Neesham has taken 1/104 in 17.3 overs this series. However, he has six wickets in four ODIs in Mount Maunganui.
• Ravindra Jadeja enjoys playing New Zealand with the bat. He averages 45 against them with the bat (including a half century last game). His bowling last game (1/35) was superb on a small ground.
• India could look at bringing back Kuldeep Yadav, who took 4/45 on this ground last year, plus Mohammed Shami who has four wickets in two games on this ground.
• However, Yuzvendra Chahal is coming off a good performance, too (3/58). But, a worry for India is Jasprit Bumrah. He has just one wicket in five ODIs this year.
• Who’s keen to see Kyle Jamieson again? New Zealand’s 2.06m giant was a giant with both bat and ball in a Player of the Match performance on debut (25* and 2/42).
• Tim Southee was excellent in Auckland. He will want to improve on his three wickets at Mount Maunganui, which come at an average of 57.66 and economy of 6.92.

Stats and Facts

• New Zealand have won their past three ODIs against India.
• India beat New Zealand twice at Mount Maunganui in the 2019 series (90 runs and seven wickets).

Key to a New Zealand win

The fight from the Black Caps has been superb this series. They rallied as a unit to pick up regular wickets while defending what seemed a sub-par score in Auckland. Now, with their tails up, it will be interesting to see if they can do the same again, including getting the better of Virat Kohli.

However, an area for improvement is the middle order batting. They crumbled in the middle overs of their innings in Auckland, with Ross Taylor and Kyle Jamieson elevating them to a defendable score. Here, it starts with a top order effort, of which the likes of Taylor, Williamson and Latham can build on.

Key to an India win

India have been under par. Jasprit Bumrah isn’t taking the wickets we are accustomed to, and runs are often flowing from at least one end. The priority for India here is to build end-to-end pressure, as they did in their 4-1 triumph last year, to avoid a series sweep here.

Also, this is a chance for Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw to make a mark. One series should never be enough to write players off, but they will be keen to stay front-of-mind with selectors. Also, can Virat Kohli make a start and go on with it?

Possible Playing 11

New Zealand’s effort in Auckland was incredible, given they were pretty depleted. They have recalled Ish Sodhi, while Scott Kuggeleijn and Mitchell Santner are deemed fit enough for selection.

New Zealand: 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Henry Nicholls, 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Ross Taylor, 5. Tom Latham (wk), 6. Jimmy Neesham, 7. Colin de Grandhomme, 8. Tim Southee, 9. Kyle Jamieson, 10. Ish Sodhi/Mitchell Santner, 11. Hamish Bennett/Scott Kuggleijn

Rishabh Pant could finally get a game on this tour for India, and Manish Pandey is a chance to play. Also, according to ESPNCricinfo, India could look at resting Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the two-match Test series.

India: 1. Mayank Agarwal, 2. Prithvi Shaw, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Shreyas Iyer, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Rishabh Pant/Manish Pandey, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Shardul Thakur, 9. Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, 10. Navdeep Saini, 11. Mohammed Shami/Jasprit Bumrah

Mount Maunganui Pitch Report and Conditions

The Mount Maunganui pitch is usually on the slower side, offering some assistance to the bowlers. However, batsmen who apply themselves will find some runs.

The weather forecast is for 25 degrees and sunny.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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Match Prediction

New Zealand are on a high at the moment, whereas India perhaps have their priorities elsewhere. India still possess the quality to win, but New Zealand might sneak home again.

Thanks for reading!