India win toss, elect to field vs New Zealand in 3rd ODI at Mohali

Hosts India take on visitors New Zealand in the third of the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on Sunday, while Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to field first, after Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson failed to make the right call for the third time in a row in the ODI series so far. Dhoni, meanwhile, is sticking to the same, unchanged squad he has used so far in both the games, where India won the opener, and lost the previous game, as the series is tie 1-1. As for New Zealand, they make a change in the form of James Neesham, who comes in for Anton Devcich. LIVE Cricket Scorecard, India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI at Mohali

The Indian cricket team will aim to put behind their disappointing defeat in the second One-Day International (ODI) at New Delhi on Thursday, and get back to their dominating best against New Zealand in the third game of the five-match series, slated to be played on Sunday. The venue for the third ODI, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali is known for having one of the quickest wickets in India, and the Kiwis would certainly be expecting some sort of assistance for their fast bowlers going into the game. The five-match series is currently levelled at 1-1 with India and New Zealand winning the first and the second ODIs respectively. LIVE Cricket Updates, India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI at Mohali

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India made a winning start to this ODI series at Dharamsala last weekend, when they smashed a hapless Kiwi team by a margin of 6 wickets to take a 1-0 lead. But in the second game at New Delhi, the Indian batting fumbled while chasing a modest target of 243 runs to win, and ended up losing the game by a narrow margin of 6 runs. For the Kiwis, the win in the second game was more than just morale-boosting, since it was their first win in 50-overs cricket against India in India since 2003. India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI: Preview & Predictions

For New Zealand, it was not a comprehensive victory, as it was largely due to a fantastic century by their captain Kane Williamson, and some tight bowling which resulted in them pulling off a win after all. The Kiwis made a poor start with Martin Guptill failing again, but a strong 120-run stand for the second wicket between Williamson and Tom Latham helped them set up a solid platform for a big total. However, it turned out that Williamson’s century and his partnership with Latham would be the only bright spots for the Kiwis, who suffered a batting collapse and were restricted to 242 for 9.

This could also be the last opportunity for a few players in the Indian side to make a mark, since the selectors will have a relook at the squad for the final two ODIs. There are a few big names such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Ishant Sharma which did not feature in the Indian contingent for the first three ODIs. The Indians may want to bring back their top bowlers for the last two ODIs in order to get them up and running again.

Teams:

India: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk, c), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronch (wk), James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Trent Boult.