cricket

[johnypowas]

Back in the swing: Hardik Pandya’s presence will lend solidity and balance to the Indian side.  


Focus on Hardik Pandya’s inclusion as he comes back from provisional suspension
India captain Virat Kohli will be aiming to seal the five-match series when his team squares off against a confused New Zealand in the third ODI here Monday.
Kohli has been given a break as part of BCCI’s workload management programme and he would like to finish his assignment down under on a high after the maiden Test and ODI victories in Australia.
An unassailable 3-0 lead would be a fitting revenge to India’s abject 0-4 humiliation during the 2014 limited-over series.
One of the primary focus of Monday’s encounter could be inclusion of Hardik Pandya who is coming back from provisional suspension for his loose talk on a TV chat show.
Hardik’s presence would lend solidity and balance to the side and he could replace Vijay shankar.
New Zealand, on the other hand, has looked clueless against India’s wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal who accounted for 12 of the 20 wickets in the last two ODIs.
Seamers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami also have done their job well, getting crucial breakthroughs.
India’s batting too has complemented the bowlers, looking rock solid in both the games with Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form lending the team the much-needed fillip at the top.
Vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who had flopped in the first ODI, too entertained the spectators here with a strokeful 87 en route to his 14th century stand with opening partner Dhawan.
In good nick
Skipper Kohli also looked in good nick in both the matches, while Ambati Rayudu seemed to have found his mojo back with a 49-ball 47 on Saturday.
M.S. Dhoni too continued his rampaging run with an unbeaten 33-ball 48 to take India across the 300-mark, while Kedar Jadhav has also grabbed the role of a finisher with both hands.
For Black Caps, captain Kane Williamson, who had top-scored in the first ODI, looked good during his short stay in the second ODI, while all-rounder Doug Bracewell tried to take the game to the wires with a 46-ball 57 but none of the other batters could convert their starts.
“There’s two games in a row now where we’ve not had control at any stage, but we need to take small steps,” Williamson said.
The teams (from):
India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, Shubman Gill, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (Capt.), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Henry Nicholls, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Micthell Santner and Tim Southee.