Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Pitch Report: The match will be played in Hyderabad. The pitch out here is good for batting. It favors the chasing team, as the pitch does not change much.Average 1st Innings scores is277.
Match Preview: The series is going to be a nail-biting one as both teams are kings of this format. Each of them loves to deal with the 50-over format.The New Zealand squad has managed to make it to 2 consecutive ODI World Cup finals and they are also a team laden with stars. The Indian team is coming after battering a helpless Sri Lankan team. Their performance in the 3rd ODI was clinical and ruthless.Virat Kohli looks in red-hot form. If he keeps going the same way, it is going to get difficult for the bowlers.Rohit Sharma found his touch in the first ODI but post that he has not been very effective. He will be tested against left-arm pacers in the games against New Zealand. Mohd Siraj’s form and ability to pick wickets in powerplay overs are the biggest plus.The same is the case with Kuldeep with regard to the middle-overs. The New Zealand team is coming to India post decimating the Pakistan team and winning an ODI series there.
The wickets in Pakistan are patta wickets where a bowler needs to be genuinely skillful to get a wicket. So, the team is coming from pitches that offer high-scoring games to pitches in India. Here in India, the pitches are slightly different with more turn and bounce on offer for the spinners. Tom Latham will lead the squad and Jacob Duffy is a name to watch out for. He is the uncapped player in the squad. The threat will be from Finn Allen at the start.
Probable XI:
India :
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik
New Zealand :
Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Doug Bracewell
