New Zealand on the cusp of a historic series win in India
The Indian team's aura of invincibility at home has been challenged by recent performances. South Africa's tour, which preceded New Zealand's arrival earlier this month, saw them nearly dethrone the hosts in the three-match ODI series, with the T20I series also going down to the wire before Suryakumar Yadav's side secured the final match in Ahmedabad. The two-Test series was a clean sweep for Temba Bavuma's team.
The ongoing ODI series against New Zealand is now tantalizingly poised, with Gautam Gambhir's side pushed to the brink by a second-string Michael Bracewell-led team. After a close contest in the first ODI in Baroda, the home team was upended by the visitors in the second match in Rajkot, setting up a winner-take-all scenario for the decider in Indore on Sunday (January 18), which Mohammed Siraj likened to a World Cup final.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate discussed the close games and losses, emphasizing the team's experimental approach while maintaining a focus on winning. He noted that the losses were more significant than the Test match losses and that the team aims to manage both short-term and long-term prospects. However, he also acknowledged the need to instill a fear of playing India in their opponents.
The series narrative goes beyond the 1-1 scoreline. The visitors have dominated India, not just in the second ODI. They have outperformed, outbatted, outbowled, outfielded, and out-caught the hosts, with India dropping crucial catches. Strikingly, New Zealand's spinners, including debutant Jayden Richard Lennox, have outperformed India's seasoned spinners.
The Holkar Stadium in Indore, a traditional batter's paradise, could favor India's free-stroking batters. However, New Zealand, who have surprised the hosts by performing beyond expectations, cannot be underestimated, especially by Daryl Mitchell. All eyes will be on Rohit and Kohli.
Team News:
India:
- India may bring in Arshdeep for the decider, but the batting lineup is unlikely to change. Nitish Reddy, who has underperformed since his century at MCG in BGT over a year ago, will be under scrutiny.
Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand:
- New Zealand is on the brink of a historic series win, an incredible achievement for a side missing several ODI regulars. Kyle Jamieson and Daryl Mitchell have tested Indian batters, and 31-year-old left-arm spinner Lennox has contained otherwise unstoppable Indian batters in his debut game in Rajkot.
Probable XI: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Jayden Lennox.
Fun Facts:
- New Zealand has never won an ODI bilateral series in India in seven previous attempts. They have won just 9 out of 41 completed ODI matches against India in India.
- New Zealand has the best batting record among full-member teams in the middle overs (11-40) against spinners, with the fewest wickets lost, the best batting average, the second-best run rate (after England), and the lowest dot percentage in this World Cup cycle.
- Only England and South Africa have a lower batting average in death overs (41-50) than India among full-member sides in this World Cup cycle. India's run-rate in death overs (41-50) post CWC 2023 is joint-lowest alongside Sri Lanka's.
- Virat Kohli has changed his batting approach since the South Africa series. Since the start of the series, he has struck at 104.0 in the first 10 balls, hitting a boundary every six balls. In comparison, post the last World Cup, he struck at 60.71 in the first 10 balls and hit a boundary every 11 balls.
'The atmosphere is very good because we are getting a lot of input from the seniors. We won the first match and then played the second, so it feels like a high-pressure situation, almost like a World Cup final. Such situations are very rare in India, so it is a great opportunity for us.' - Mohammed Siraj on Sunday's decider
