India have already won the ODI series in New Zealand but they will have a whitewash in their sights over the last two matches, the first of which comes along in Hamilton on Thursday. New Zealand will be out to deny them that at all costs.
There may not be a competitive factor on this match but as I’ve been repeating for a while, there is a World Cup on the horizon so both sides will be looking to continue their preparation for that tournament over the next few days.
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New Zealand
It has been a tough start to the series for New Zealand, and as a result they are out of it almost before it has begun, but there is no time for crying over spilt milk. Instead they need to come out of the troubles they have faced thus far, put everything in place to make sure that they are more competitive over the final two matches and get back to building towards the World Cup.
In terms of how they win this match, they must put better partnerships together with the bat. They have enough depth in their batting and power at the bottom end of it that they can afford to be slightly behind the rate in laying the platform because they will catch up later. Their bowlers should be able to get some respite here as well.
India
With the series in the bag and having been away from home for a sustained period of time, the task now for the Indians is to maintain their intensity and their focus for a couple more matches. I would imagine the World Cup being on the horizon will help them in that respect and if they are able to do that then there is no reason why they can’t win here and set up the whitewash.
We’ve still not really seen what their lower order has to offer. I’ve had concerns over that throughout the winter and they still remain in place but on the flip side of that, their top four have been delivering so regularly that we are almost in a position where they are hardly going to need those down the list to bail them out.
Team News
Jimmy Neesham and Todd Astle are back for the home side in this match. They replace Doug Bracewell and Ish Sodhi and are likely to be the only changes to the New Zealand team for this fourth game.
India have decided to rest Virat Kohli after a pretty extreme workload in recent times. MS Dhoni is expected to be fit after missing the last match with a late injury so he could replace Kohli and everyone moves up one in the order. Rohit Sharma skippers the side.
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Betting
I think this could be the best chance for New Zealand to win a match in this series. They look like the better balanced side heading into this match and the return of Neesham down the order should be a huge thing. Not only can he deliver the goods with the bat, but he can also do a turn for them with the ball in the middle overs as well which should be significant too.
There were signs in the previous match that New Zealand were beginning to get to grips with the task at hand with the bat and if they can continue that progression here then they should be able to get themselves on the board for the series. I’ll take the home side at what remains a perfectly fair price given their ability.
Tips
WON – Back New Zealand to win 4th ODI for a 4/10 stake at 2.30 with Boylesports
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