After registering a clinical victory on the back of Suryakumar Yadav’s second T20I century at the Bay Oval, team India will take on the hosts in the third and final match of the three-match series, at the McLean Park, Napier on Tuesday.
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A win on Tuesday will not only help Hardik Pandya’s men clinch the series, but also register India’s third consecutive bilateral T20I series victory against the Kiwis.
For those unaware, the Black Caps have not managed to win a single T20I (in bilateral fixtures) against India since losing the five-match series in January-February 2020 at home.
India will yet again like to hand another go to their opening pair of Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant, with the latter in particular looking scratchy during his 13-ball stay at the crease at the Bay Oval.
It will also be interesting to see whether or not Sanju Samson gets an affirmation nod to play the final T20I, after fans expressed their displeasure yet again upon him being kept out of the playing XI today.
As for the Kiwis, their skipper Kane Williamson’s conservative batting approach yet again proved to be no good for the side, as they fell 65 runs short of the target despite him playing out 52 deliveries alone.
Napier pitch report 3rd T20
The McLean Park in Napier will host only its fifth T20I on Tuesday, with the last one taking place back in March 2021.
Akin the Bay Oval, the pitch at the McLean Park is batting friendly to say the least, with an average first innings total of 171 runs.
Having said that, the surface tends to slow down during the latter half of the match, bringing the spinners into play.
Across the 25 T20 matches played at this venue from 2006-2021, the average score stands at 169.4, with the highest-ever team total being 241, posted by England against the hosts in November 2019.
All in all, expect a high-scoring encounter between the two sides on Tuesday.
