The Sunday Guardian

INDIA AIM TO CLINCH SERIES AGAINST KIWIS

The hosts will be relying heavily on skipper Virat Kohli to lead the side from the front in the batting department.

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Coming from a six-wicket victory, India will look to defeat New Zealand in the third and final One-Day Internatio­nal (ODI) to clinch the series at the Green Park here on Sunday.

The series is currently level at 1-1, with the New Zealand taking lead in the initial match and the hosts levelling things in the second.

India will heavily rely on skipper Virat Kohli to lead the side from the front in the batting department along side opener Shikhar Dhawan, middle-order bats- men Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Panya who have looked in good nick throughout the series.

Batsmen Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav will only add further depth to the Indian batting.

In the bowling department, Kohli will fancy including wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI, who belongs from the host venue to impose threat on the opposition. Yadav was replaced by Axar Patel in the previous match.

However, pacers Bhuvneshwa­r Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will spearhead the bowling attack. Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal, Patel and Yadav along side all- rounder Pandya will look to apply breaks on the Kiwis batting in the middle overs.

New Zealand who started the series on a positive note will look to bounce back and clinch the series under the likes of experience­d batsmen Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor.

Middle- order batsman Tom Latham who has proved his mettle in the series will be one of the key in the visitors batting.

In bowling, the Blackcaps will hope experience­d pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult to provide their side with early breakthrou­ghs.

Spinner Mitchell Santner will be the key to halt the flow of runs for India in the middle overs.

SQUADS: INDIA:

Virat Kohli (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeep­er), Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwa­r Kumar, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur.

Ross Taylor, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (captain), Adam Milne, Colin de Grandhomme, Colin Munro, Trent Boult, Tom Latham (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Santner, Henry Nicholls, George Worker, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Glenn Phillips, Tom Bruce.

NEW ZEALAND:

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