During the third T20I of India’s tour of New Zealand in Napier, New Zealand captain Tim Southee has won the toss and chose to bat in spite of there being chances of rain in the city tonight.
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“We will bat. Looks like a pitch where we can put the runs on the board. We can’t really control the weather but the history of this ground suggests good batting conditions,” Southee told Spark Sport at the toss. As far as the history of McLean Park is concerned, teams batting first and second have won twice each out of the four T20Is played here over the years.
India captain Hardik Pandya was unperturbed about losing the toss for the second time in a row because he was looking to chase a total on Tuesday.
“We wanted to bowl first anyway. So, we got what we wanted. I think the pitch will remain the same for the entire 40 overs but with the grass on it, there could be some lateral movement for our pacers. We do keep the dimensions in mind,” Pandya told Spark Sport at the toss.
Why is Kane Williamson not playing vs India today?
A primary reason why Southee is leading New Zealand for the 22nd time in his T20I career (second in 2022) is because regular captain Kane Williamson getting ruled out of this match yesterday.
Best batter for his team in spite of a substandard strike rate in the second T20I in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, Williamson has missed this match due to a “pre-arranged medical appointment” which is not for his long-standing elbow injury.
“Kane’s been trying to get this booked in for a while now, but unfortunately it hasn’t been able to fit into our schedule,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said in a statement on Monday. Batter Mark Chapman has replaced Williamson in the Playing for this match.
India, meanwhile, have also made a lone change to their Playing XI. Laying faith in Deepak Hooda’s off-spin, the visitors have increased their fast bowling-strength by including pacer Harshal Patel for all-rounder Washington Sundar.
