The Indian cricket team will be playing the third and final Test of the series against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from November 1 onwards after losing their first home Test series in 12 years. Furthermore, New Zealand also won two consecutive Test matches against India in India for the first-time in their history, to claim their first Test series win on the Indian shores.
After two one-sided defeats in Bengaluru and Pune, the Indian cricket team will be hurting, and they will have a chance to make amends in the final Test of the series at one of the most iconic settings in the world of cricket. The Rohit Sharma-led team will also be looking to secure their first win of the Test series, to improve their chances of making the World Test Championship (WTC) final next year apart from gathering some much needed momentum before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test tour to Australia.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at India’s probable playing XI versus New Zealand for the third Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c)
Yashasvi Jaiswal has gotten starts in all the four innings of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand in trying conditions, including a fifty in Pune, but his runs haven’t proven to be enough for India. Captain Rohit Sharma has a fifty to his name in the two Test matches versus the Black Caps, but lack of runs in other innings hasn’t help India’s cause
Middle Order: Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk)
Shubman Gill got a couple of starts of his own after returning from injury in the Pune Test, which will boost his confidence to achieve better results in the coming matches. Virat Kohli scored a fifty in the first Test in Bengaluru, but his dismissal in the first innings of the second Test, when he missed a full toss from Mitchell Santner, is something which has shocked his fans and critics alike.
Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant were involved in a fantastic partnership in the Bengaluru Test to deny New Zealand an innings win, but in the second Test, they weren’t able to replicate their batting performance.
All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin
Indian veteran spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin got outbowled in Pune by Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips, a rare occurrence in home conditions in Test cricket. After succumbing to their second Test series defeat in India as a spin bowling partnership in 12 years, Jadeja and Ashwin will be looking to end the series against New Zealand on a high in the third and final Test in Pune.
Bowlers: Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
Washington Sundar made a triumphant return to the Indian Test team after three and half years, picking up a seven-wicket haul in the first innings against New Zealand in Pune before backing it up with four wickets in the second innings. Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep didn’t have much of a role with the ball with the pitch assisting the spinners at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune, but in Mumbai, it could very well turn out to be a different story.