India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI Match Preview: Can Virat Kohli Avoid Whitewash Humiliation?

India will look to avoid whitewash humiliation when they lock horn against New Zealand in the third and last ODI of the three-match series at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday. Although the stakes won't be higher as the Kiwis has already won the series, Virat Kohli and men will look to draw some positives before they head to Basin Reserve for the Test assignment. India is playing without its regular openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, who are nursing their injuries. In their absence, the task to provide the team a good start has come on the shoulders of young Prithvi Shaw and Test opener Mayank Agarwal. So far, they have shown the glimpse of their talent but failed to fire on all cylinders. Skipper Virat Kohli, who is expected to score a hundred every time he walks out there, has also been silent with the bat and India would desperately want its main man to get going.

On the other hand, riding high on confidence after consecutive victories, the Kiwis has become even stronger with the return of their regular skipper Kane Williamson, who missed the first two games owing to an injury he sustained during the T20 series. The hosts have also included spinner Ish Sodhi and pacer Blair Tickner in the squad for the final ODI. With the return of their star batsman, New Zealand will look to avenge the 5-0 whitewash in the T20 series.

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Team News

Kane Williamson, who missed the first two games, has been declared fit to lead New Zealand in the third ODI against India. The hosts will also be adding leg spinner Ish Sodhi and pacer Blair Tickner to their squad for the final game. India, on the other hand, may also go for a couple of changes in the squad. Manish Pandey could replace Kedar Jadhav to strengthen the team's middle order which failed to fire in the second ODI. Also, Mohammed Shami can come back in place of Shardul Thakur, who went for plenty of runs.

India Predicted XI: Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand Predicted XI: Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (C), Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner

Weather Report

The weather on match day is expected to be mostly clear with no prediction of rain in Mount Maunganui. However, with the high humidity of 91 per cent, the dew is likely to be a major factor in the second innings. Team winning the toss will be tempted to bowl first and chase the target given the dew factor.

Time And Venue

Date: Tuesday, February 11

Time: 7:30 AM

Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

Who said what?

"There are no grounds alike in New Zealand, so it is very important to understand the ground dimensions. How to bowl, etc. In each game, as a bowler, you may have to change your plan because the last game in Auckland, straight boundaries were short. Before that in Hamilton, the side boundary was short. The dimensions of each ground are different and you have to bowl accordingly. Here in the next game, we will get a bigger ground compared to the others," said Thakur on the eve of the third ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Tuesday.

"He (Williamson) certainly had a full workout and all is on track for tomorrow. He's looking good to be ready to play. We'll have one final look at him in the morning and make sure nothing happens overnight," New Zealand stand-in head coach Shane Jurgensen said on the eve of the final ODI.