New Zealand eyes history in repeat of 2016 clash
October 29, 2016 - Visakhapatnam
Scenario: Five-match ODI series tied at 2-2
Despite starting their campaign on a sour note, Kane Williamson’s men showed tremendous resolve to script a stunning comeback in the second and fourth ODIs to catch India off guard and equalise the series ahead of the final encounter at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
October 29, 2017 - Kanpur
Scenario: Three-match ODI series leveled at 1-1
The onus this time was on the in-form Virat Kohli-led side to bounce back from a rare defeat in Mumbai, and the manner in which India squared the series in Pune showed exactly why it has become a vanquisher of late across all formats.
The cities and captains might have changed, but the plot ahead of the final One-Day International between India and New Zealand that will be played at the Green Park stadium on Sunday (October 29) remains the same.
The Visakhapatnam match last year against New Zealand was Mahendra Singh Dhoni's last ODI as captain, as the ambitious and emulous Kohli was handed over the baton. A lot has changed in the last 12 months - India has gone on to transform itself into a winning-machine that has bulldozered almost every opponent that has stepped foot on its road.
In the last 366 days, India has managed to win 18 of 25 ODIs, including bilateral series wins against the likes of England, Windies, Sri Lanka and Australia. When New Zealand came to India this month, not many expected it to give the home side a stiff battle, but a convincing victory in the first match forced Kohli to get out of the comfort zone and tweak changes in the playing XI.
The successful wrist-spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav was broken and Axar Patel, the left-arm spinner, was brought into the mix in place of the latter. Axar, along with Kedar Jadhav, the street-smart offspinner, constantly bowled on a good length at a decent pace which didn't allow Tom Latham and Co to unleash the barrage of sweep shots that led to India's downfall in the first ODI.
While the spinners have been doing the job for Kohli in the middle overs, it's been the dynamic pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah who have made life difficult for the New Zealand batsmen at the start and death overs. The two combined have picked up seven wickets between them and haven't allowed Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, the aggressive New Zealand openers, to get going at the top.
On the batting front, Kohli, who is 83 runs away from 9,000 ODI runs, and Shikhar Dhawan have done their reputation no harm, while Rohit Sharma's struggle against an incoming delivery from a left-hand bowler is nothing new. Rohit though does carry some happy memories in Kanpur, where he scored a fighting 150 against South Africa in a losing cause in 2015.
The biggest positive for the Indian team came in the form of Dinesh Karthik, who, for at least a few games, has made that debatable No.4 spot his own with a match-winning 64* in the last match. The promotion of Karthik, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya up the order in recent times has left India with no other option than to bat Dhoni at No. 6. The Ranchi stalwart does like to take some time before changing gears and batting him at No. 5 could do wonders for him and team India.
Meanwhile, for New Zealand, the experiment of opening with Guptill and Munro hasn't produced desired results. Both the openers have struggled to score against India's new-ball pair of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah and the onus will once again be on Taylor and Latham to do the major chunk of scoring in the middle phase of the innings. The likes of Williamson and Guptill will have to be at their very best to compete against this ruthless Indian side.
While Trent Boult and Tim Southee have been New Zealand's wicket-takers, Mitchell Santner, the left-arm spinner, has been fairly economical, going at just 3.95 from 20 overs that he has bowled in the first two games.
The worrying point for the visiting side will be to get those remaining 20 overs out, and that is where Ish Sodhi could come into play. The legspinner is yet to get a game and his wrist-spinning abilities might give New Zealand an extra wicket-taking option in Kanpur.
The Green Park will host its first ever ODI under lights and the weather is expected to be a bit more relaxed compared to Mumbai and Pune.
Last year, New Zealand faltered in Visakhapatnam and an opportunity of winning its first ODI series in India disappeared like a flash. A year later, Williamson again finds himself in familiar territory - one that has completely been dominated by Kohli's men in recent times. The home side will do whatever it takes to make sure that it remains unconquered.
Teams (from)
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, George Worker, Ish Sodhi.