New Zealand vs India 2014: 3rd ODI preview

Totally foxed!

This series between New Zealand and India has been anything but expected. New Zealand have done exceedingly well to put the breaks on a generally flamboyant Indian side, which backs itself to chase down big totals and dig themselves out of jeopardy. But, from India’s perspective, they have been way below par and I’d say that there’s been a touch of cockiness in the way Team India has approached this series, and now face a daunting task of needing to win 2 games on the bounce to stay alive in the series. That being said, what does the 3rd ODI have in store?

Team India

India went into the series as outright favourites to win it, but the way they’ve played in the 2 ODIs so far suggests to me that they haven’t taken it seriously. Mistakes of yesteryears continue to haunt the team and its fabulous fans, and somehow Dhoni’s tactics and the way he reads his team’s performance baffle me.

It’s alright when the captain of the team remains calm and composed, but what does the team need at the moment? In a situation such as this one, you need the captain to be proactive and rally the side around, not so sure whether that’s happening. When Ishant Sharma went for 72 runs in his 9 overs in the 1st ODI at Napier, I’d have analyzed his performances in 2013 and probably given him a break. Get him bowling in the nets and give him a feel of what the pitches in the country have to offer.

You have untested youngsters like Varun Aaron and Ishwar Pandey, who I am sure will be inching to get in the side and show their capabilities, and on one side of the coin, I’d think that you need to recognize the right men for next year’s World Cup.

Team India’s batting, which is supposedly our strength, has twice in succession failed to finish off games from seemingly winning positions. The Indian openers’ ploy of letting Dhawan go for the big shots and Rohit Sharma playing the waiting game has backfired. Because of that, the Indians haven’t got off to the kind of starts they’d have liked to.

Has had to shoulder bulk of the responsibility

The middle order continues to be a worry with neither Rahane or Raina being able to stabilize the innings in case of losing 2 early wickets, which subsequently makes it cumbersome for Virat Kohli to shoulder responsibility and manufacture bulk of the team’s runs. If not for Kohli and Dhoni in the 2 lost ODIs, India would have struggled to even get past 200.

So where does Team India go from here?

You expect Dhoni to ring in a couple of changes and strengthen the batting, if that’s what he’s banking on. I wrote a piece on Stuart Binny, and why he’ll give balance to the current Indian line-up, which Dhoni prefers to put out on the park. Maybe for the 3rd ODI in Auckland tomorrow, you expect Dhoni to give Binny a go and see what the Rajasthan Royals’ all-rounder can render.

From this series’ perspective alone, I would just shuffle the batting order a weave bit. Bring Rohit Sharma down the batting order and push Rahane to open the innings.

Rohit has got into the mindset of wanting to spend a long time in the middle before he goes for the hoicks and heaves, so I’d hold him down the order and give Raina the freedom of going all guns blazing from the word go. The blend of Rohit’s solid defence and Raina’s aggressive approach could benefit India. Indian middle order has to fire by some means, for India to make a rearguard action and turn this series around.

Team India haven’t played as poorly as the series scoreline suggests, and I’d say, they just need a bit of fine-tuning throughout the line-up to reinvent the exquisite exploits of 2013. I expect Dhoni to lead from the front and take the game to the Blackcaps come tomorrow morning.

New Zealand

The home side have proved to themselves and the cricketing world that they are no pushovers.

In Corey Anderson, they’ve unearthed a genuine match-winner that every side would love to have. He, to me, is an extended version of Roger Twose from the late 90s and early 2000s. Twose was a big hitter lower down the order, and like Anderson, bowled gentle medium pace.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have done something that the Indian middle order hasn’t managed to, i.e stabilize the innings in case of a couple of early blows. Their partnership in both the games bailed New Zealand out of trouble and gave them a platform from where Corey Anderson and Brendon Mccullum could be unleashed.

Lethal fast bowler

In the bowling department, Tim Southee has found the block-hole on a consistent basis during the death overs, and hasn’t given any room to work with for the Indian batsmen. Mitchell McClenaghan has played the role of a potent wicket-taker to perfection. Every time Brendon Mccullum throws the ball to him, he responds with an Indian scalp, and an important one at that.

Also, New Zealand bowlers with their ability to generate extra pace have managed to rattle the Indian batsmen. Extra pace to go with extra bounce is proving to be Indian batsmen’s Achilles heel. Indian batsmen are proving to be compulsive hookers of the short ball, and because of the extra bounce generated by Mitchell McClenaghan & co., Indian batsmen are finding it difficult to keep the ball all along the turf, which consequently is bring about their downfall.

Indian fielding has been good, but has been edged out by New Zealand’s genuine brilliance with their ground fielding and catching. Nathan McCullum’s one-handed ripper to dismiss Rahane in the 1st ODI is a testimony to the previous sentence.

The one-handed ripper I am talking about

Add to the above positives, Brendon McCullum should be applauded for the way he has lead the side. He has always been there with his bowlers to set the right fields, and hasn’t let the pressure of the game get the better of him.

All and all, New Zealand have played with a no-nonsense approach in the 2 ODIs, and that has been the difference, if at all, between New Zealand winning and India losing.

The pitch conditions

The ground in Auckland is known for it’s eccentric dimensions, and the wicket generally is batting friendly. I believe that New Zealand have been spot on with the pitches they’ve produced at both Napier and in Hamilton, where it’s been sparsely dry, and balls have bounced sufficient enough to bother the Indian batsmen. So, don’t be surprised, if another such wicket is dished out in Auckland tomorrow.

Toss

I’d believe that after two successive defeats chasing, Dhoni would tinker with the pattern a bit, and bat first, if he wins the toss. It remains to be seen what New Zealand make of the same. Since the pressure is exclusively on India, Brendon Mccullum might want to go for the jugular, bat first and put up another 290+ total. So, I wouldn’t say that the toss is crucial in the way it might affect the game.

Bottom line

There’s no scope for scepticism that India have their backs to the wall, and for them to win tomorrow, they’ll have to play out of their skins, bring their A-game to the fore, and put in a collective performance from all departments.

New Zealand, well, they just have to continue what they’ve been doing in the last 2 ODIs. But, the big question is whether they can hold their nerve just as they’re on the brink of winning an ODI series against the reigning world champions.

My prediction

What Team India have dished out so far has been infuriating to witness, but I expect Dhoni and Team India to learn from their mistakes in the 2 ODIs, and show New Zealand why they were the no.1 ranked ODI side at the start of this limited overs series.