Indore, Jan 17 (.) History is at stake as India take on New Zealand in the third and deciding One-Day International of the New Zealand tour of India at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Sunday, with the visitors aiming to script a rare ODI series victory on Indian soil after nearly two decades.
With the series evenly poised at 1-1, the decider has assumed added significance. India will look to draw confidence from their formidable home record, having never lost an ODI series to New Zealand in India over the last 20 years and remaining unbeaten at Indore with a perfect 7–0 record at the venue.
India enter the contest after suffering a seven-wicket defeat in the second ODI at Rajkot, where despite a fighting unbeaten century from KL Rahul (112) and a fluent half-century by skipper Shubman Gill (56), they were restricted to 284 for seven on a good batting surface. The total proved insufficient as New Zealand chased it down comfortably, reaching 286 for three in 47.3 overs.
Daryl Mitchell starred for the Black Caps with a magnificent unbeaten 131, forging a decisive 162-run partnership with Will Young (87). Mitchell has been New Zealand’s standout performer in the series, amassing 215 runs, while Rahul leads India’s batting charts with 141 runs.
India’s bowling, particularly the spin department, has come under scrutiny after conceding runs at crucial stages. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja will be under pressure to deliver, while the possible inclusion of Arshdeep Singh could add a much-needed swing option alongside Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will be buoyed by their disciplined bowling effort in the previous match, led by Kristian Clarke, who picked up three key wickets in the middle overs. Although the visitors have been slightly expensive at the death, their overall performance has given them a genuine chance to clinch a rare series win in India.
The pitch at the Holkar Cricket Stadium is known to favour batsmen, with short boundaries and an average first-innings score of 316 in ODIs. While teams batting first have enjoyed success in the past, recent matches suggest chasing sides hold an advantage, making the toss crucial. The team winning the toss is expected to opt to bowl first.
Weather conditions are expected to be ideal for cricket, with sunny skies, temperatures hovering around 26 degrees Celsius, low humidity and no threat of rain throughout the day.
India remain favourites going into the decider, backed by strong home numbers and a win probability of 78 percent compared to New Zealand’s 22 percent. A victory would see the hosts clinch the series 2-1, while New Zealand will be hoping to overturn history and register a memorable triumph.
The match began at 1.30 pm IST.
. . .