Match: India vs New Zealand (IND vs NZ)
Date: February 1, Wednesday, 7.30 PM IST
Venue: Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad
India and New Zealand will go head to head in the third and final T20I at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on January 29. The series is on the line, with both teams having won a match each.
The visitors won the first T20I by 21 runs in Ranchi. Batting first, New Zealand posted a total of 176 runs on the board on the back of a half-century each by Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway. Later in the game, their bowlers defend the target. Michael Bracewell, Santner and Lockie Ferguson picked up two wickets each to restrict India to 155 even though Washington Sundar scored a fifty, while Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with 47.
The hosts made a strong comeback in the second T20I. The Indian bowlers did a brilliant job to restrict New Zealand to a first innings total of just 99 runs. Apart from Shivam Mavi, every Indian bowler picked up at least one wicket. And while the Indian batsman didn’t chase down the target effortlessly, they got there in 19.5 overs.
India are being by Hardik Pandya for this series in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who has been rested. New Zealand, on the other hand, are being captained by Mitchell Santner in absence of Kane Williamson and Tim Southee.
Ahead of the third T20I match, let’s look at the head to head of both the teams, pitch report, weather update, top picks for your MPL fantasy team and more.
Weather update and pitch report for IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I
The pitch in Ahmedabad has historically been an excellent one for batting and we are likely in for another high-scoring match on Wednesday. The average first-innings score across the last three T20Is played here is 188. Pacers have accounting for 26 out of 34 wickets in the last three T20Is and is thus advisable to have more pacers in your fantasy team.
Overall, a total of nine T20I matches have been played at this venue in the past – five of which were won by the teams batting first. The average first innings total is 152. The highest and lowest T20I total recorded in Ahmedabad is 224 for 2 and 107 for 7.
The weather in Ahmedabad will be mostly pleasant and the skies clear. The temperature will fluctuate between 20 to 26 degrees.
India team news and predicted XI
Team news: India are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI after winning the previous game. However, it can be noted that they took 19.5 overs to chase down only 99 runs, and their batsmen will have to produce a better performance in the next game.
Squad: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.
Predicted XI: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shivam Mavi, 9 Umran Malik, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand team news and predicted XI
Team news: Ish Sodhi, who failed to recover in time from an ankle injury he suffered during the third ODI in Karachi, was ruled out of the ODI series against India, but returned for the T20I series.
Squad: Kane Williamson, Tom Latham (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
Predicted XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Mark Chapman, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Mitchell Santner (capt), 8 Blair Tickner, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Ben Lister, 11 Lockie Ferguson
Head to head record
In the 20-over format, India and New Zealand are almost neck-and-neck in the head-to-head total. India have won 13 out of 24 games, while New Zealand have won 11 of those.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I
Devon Conway – batsman, New Zealand
Devon Conway, who was New Zealand’s top performer in the ODIs, carried the good form into T20Is, scoring 52 runs off 35 balls knock in the first game. Earlier, he had scored 138 off 100 in the third ODI In all, Conway has a strike rate of over 130 in his T20I career.
Suryakumar Yadav – batsman, India
The current no. 1 ICC T20 batsman is an excellent pick for your MPL team’s captaincy for this game. Yadav scored 47 runs off 34 in the first T20I and will be looking to help India win the series with another good performance. Since making his T20I debut in 2021, Yadav has already scored three half-centuries.
Shubman Gill – batsman, India
Shubman Gill scored a double ton and a century in the recent ODIs against New Zealand and although he is yet to make an impact in both the first two T20Is, he is still a safe pick for your fantasy team.
Daryl Mitchell – all-rounder, New Zealand
The batting all-rounder scored an unbeaten 59 off 30 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes in the first match and is currently among the most dependable batsman in the Kiwi setup.
Mitchell Santner – all-rounder, New Zealand
The New Zealand skipper bowled a match-winning spell in the first T20I. He dismissed Shubman Gill and Deepak Hooda in his four overs while conceding just 11 runs.
MPL fantasy XI – IND vs NZ, 3rd T20I
IND vs NZ – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app. The match will begin at 7.30 PM IST on February 1.
The India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app. The match will begin at 7.30 PM IST on January 29.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
