The third and final Test match between India and New Zealand begins in the early hours of Saturday morning when the two sides do battle at Indore. India’s win at Eden Gardens last week secured both the series and the number one spot in the ICC rankings and they’ll be looking for the win to preserve that place and nail a whitewash.
New Zealand will be looking to respond and pick up a rare win in Indian conditions to perk up their confidence ahead of the ODI series which begins shortly after this match ends.
India
It hasn’t been completely emphatic from India in the two matches so far but they have won them both by large margins. I think on both occasions the margin of victory has flattered them somewhat and it will be interesting to see how they cope were New Zealand to bat first here. In fairness they have had an unsettled side so to win both matches is no mean feat.
India have relied heavily on their spinners to get the job done in this series so far and nothing is expected to change on that score. Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been given the start of the ODI series off so they can concentrate on wreaking more havoc here.
New Zealand
Considering they were without their captain at Eden Gardens, New Zealand put up a creditable showing in that match but ultimately that was in vein. They have gone with a game plan which has worked to an extent but they just haven’t been able to take advantage of the encouraging positions they have been in so far.
Having had India 209-5 and 193-5 in the first innings in the series so far the chances have been there to build on promising positions but they just haven’t been able to put up the significant first innings scores of their own to take advantage. 262 having been 159-1 and 204 just aren’t high enough totals so that is where they need to improve.
Team News
India are likely to give Gautam Ganbhir a recall at the top of the order after Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have been ruled out through injury. Amit Mishra could come into the side if they feel they need a third spinner.
Kane Williamson is expected to have recovered from the virus which kept him out of the previous match. If he has Henry Nicholls is most likely to make way. Matt Henry looks to have secured his spot in the side so Neil Wagner and Ish Sodhi could be fighting for the final place.
Holkar Cricket Stadium
This is the first Test match to have been staged at Indore. There have been four ODIs here and only one of them was remotely high scoring which was when Virender Sehwag made 219 so this is likely to be another tough match for the batsmen with the bowlers regularly in the game.
Betting
As with all matches with little on the line I don’t tend to get too involved and I’m not going to here although I will keep a firm eye on the match as scouting purposes for the upcoming ODI series which I’m hoping will be much more competitive.
One bet I will take though is for Trent Boult to take over 1.5 wickets in the first innings. That is a line he has covered on both first innings in the series so far and with India bringing in a rusty Gambhir and having a fairly lengthy tail there will be enough chances for him to bang out a couple of wickets with either the first or second new ball around the overs the spinners will bowl.
Boult remains a class act no matter what the conditions and a shade under even money looks perfectly acceptable on what I class to be one of the top three bowlers in the world to bag a couple of scalps.
Tips
WON – Back T.Boult Over 1.5 1st Inns Wickets for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with Coral
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016
