IND vs NZ: Weather Forecast And Pitch Report Of McLean Park, Napier, India Tour Of New Zealand 2022, 3rd T20I

IND vs NZ: Weather Forecast And Pitch Report Of McLean Park, Napier, India Tour Of New Zealand 2022, 3rd T20I. India and New Zealand will square off in the third and final fixture of the T20I series on Tuesday, November 22. The Men In Blue will head to McLean Park in Napier with a chance to win the series.

The hosts will be out to seek parity in the series after a thrashing received in the 2nd T20I at Mount Maunganui. It was a no-brainer to choose to bat first at the Bay Oval after winning the toss.

Kane Williamson opted to bowl against an attacking Indian batting lineup at a venue where only once a team had successfully chased down a total. Though it wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on, India’s superhero, Suryakumar Yadav showed why he is a class apart. He was the only batsman from both teams who looked comfortable playing his strokes.

As both teams travel to Napier, there is everything to play for. India can seal the series 2-0 with a win at McLean Park while the hosts can bounce back and level the series. A batting-friendly pitch and short square boundaries will make for a high-scoring match between two strong batting teams.

Riding on Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering hundred and the bowlers’ impressive showing, India defeated New Zealand by 65 runs in the second T20 International to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on Sunday.

The in-form Suryakumar Yadav fired yet again with a scintillating hundred as India posted 191 for six. In reply, New Zealand were all out for 126 in 18.5 overs, with Deepak Hooda taking 4/10 in 2.5 overs.  Tim Southee picked up a hat-trick when he took three wickets on the trot in the innings’ last over to finish with figures of 3/34. The first match of the series was a washout.

Brief Scores:

India: 191/6 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 111 not out; Tim Southee 3/34).

New Zealand: 126 all out in 18.5 overs (Kane Williamson 61; Deepak Hooda 4/10).

The Blackcaps aren’t used to such a thrashing at home. It wasn’t going to be easy chasing down a 192-run target at the Bay Oval. But the way in which New Zealand went down was unlike a T20 World Cup semi-finalist.

Kane Williamson was the top scorer for the hosts with a 61 off 52-ball knock which never made any impact on the innings. Considering the skipper’s form of late, it is bad news for the Blackcaps if Kane Williamson is the top team batsman in a T20I match.

New Zealand are a strong team and they know how to bounce back. They have done it before. Finn Allen, Devon Conway, and Glenn Phillips can be the game changers for New Zealand. In the lower middle order, the likes of Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham will also be key to a comeback from NZ.

India’s spinners can pose a tough challenge to the hosts and they can’t afford to be ill-prepared. Tim Southee picked a hat trick in the last game and will be the key bowler in the powerplay. India has some attacking batters in the top order and it will be up to Tim Southee to give New Zealand early breakthroughs and put India under pressure.

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman,  Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (c), Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson

A new captain, a new playing XI, and complete dominance against the regular NZ T20I side is how India started their tour of New Zealand. It can’t get better than this for Hardik Pandya and co. While Suryakumar Yadav continued his form, some of the returnees also made their mark.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar, who was expensive in his 2 overs, picked the crucial wicket of Devon Conway, breaking a 56-run stand for the 2nd wicket. After being dismissed for a duck on the first delivery at number 6, Deepak Hooda went on to finish with bowling figures of 4 for 10 from 2.5 Overs. Yuzvendra Chahal also managed to use the pitch to his advantage and even after being hit for a six, he bounced back the next ball with a wicket. India ticked all the right boxes in their last match.

And they are all set to win their 2nd consecutive T20I series in New Zealand. Pacers from both teams will be looking to bowl back-of-the-hand deliveries given the pitch conditions and the boundary size.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s lack of pace might actually work in India’s favor this time around. Rishabh Pant will be eager to get runs after failing to get started in the last game. With Hardik Pandya and Deepak Hooda down the order, India can be expected to finish high.

There is a massive outcry to include Sanju Samson in the 11 in the place of Rishabh Pant, who continued his underwhelming ways in the T20s during the Bay Oval match as well, getting out for a 13-ball 6. Having bagged the series already, the team management is in a comfortable place to explore other players and can give rest to some players. Sanju Samson may play in place of Shreyas Iyer while Umran Malik may replace Mohammed Siraj in the 3rd and final T20I.

India Predicted Playing XI:

Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya (c) , Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal

IND vs NZ: Weather Forecast And Pitch Report Of McLean Park, Napier, India Tour Of New Zealand 2022, 3rd T20I

The pitch is batting-friendly and tends to slow down as the game progresses. However, there may not be a great deal of change in the pitch condition in a T20I match. Scattered thunderstorms are expected on the match day in Napier with a high of about 25 degrees Celsius.

McLean Park in Napier will host the 3rd and final T20I between New Zealand and India. The venue is known for its batting-friendly wicket and short square boundaries. Toss will not play as big of a role as in the last match.

Only 5 T20Is have been played at this ground. Of which, 2 had results going in favor of the team batting second, and 2 had results going in favor of the team batting first while 1 game was abandoned. In the domestic T20s, teams batting first have won 11 of the 16 matches.

According to weather.com, the temperature at Napier on Matchday -22nd November will be between 15-24 degrees Celcius. Thunderstorms are expected to develop in the afternoon. Winds will be from North at 15 to 25 km/h. The chances of rain are 57-70%.