India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I Playing XI tip-off: Prithvi Shaw likely to remain benched, Umran Malik to return for the series decider

Winning the toss, New Zealand opted to bat first but could only post 99/8. However, the wicket didn’t make it a cake walk for the hosts to chase down 100 as they lost four wickets on the way and only achieved the same with a ball to spare.

Going into the third T20I, the men in blue may be burdened with a few tough calls to take in terms of the playing eleven.

Shaw to remain benched

Prithvi Shaw received a call up to the India squad ahead of the series following a spree of domestic cricket performances for Mumbai and for Delhi Capitals in the IPL. At IPL 2022, Shaw scored 193 Powerplay runs in the nine innings this season, at 9.57 runs an over, a rate brisker than any of his Indian counterparts.

With Hardik Pandya backing Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan as the first-choice openers in the series, it looks like the Mumbai opener will still have to remain benched as Ishan Kishan is the first choice for wicketkeeping.

Hello Ahmedabad 👋

We are here for the third & final T20I of the #INDvNZ series 👏 👏#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/gQ1jPEnPvK

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 30, 2023

In his five T2oI innings for India this year, Kishan has only been able to score 63 runs off five games at a strike rate under 90.

But with the middle order looking sorted there remains little scope to bring in Jitesh Sharma, so India have only one keeper batter choice to go with.

Umran to return

With long boundaries and a relatively quicker wicket in play, India might be tempted to bring Umran Malik, who missed out on the second T20I, back in the XI. The hosts had opted for an extra spinner in Lucknow in place of India’s new pace merchant.

The Indian Express had learned that the Indian team management had requested for a last minute change in the wicket at Lucknow that led to slower conditions in play. Yuzvendra Chahal replacing Umran in the lineup may have been owing to the same. But with the Ahmedabad wicket having suited brutal pacers such as Jofra Archer, Lockie Ferguson before, the 23-year-old seems like the option India may revert back to.

In 2023, Umran picked the most T20I wickets so far for India (7) and has also received backing from skipper Hardik Pandya.

Predicted Playing XI

India: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk) Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner

Squads

India: Hardik Pandya (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rippon, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner