IND vs NZ 3rd ODI: Shikhar Dhawan on brink of first series loss as Team India train on eve of Christchurch ODI

Team India are all geared up for the final ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday (November 30) as they try to end the series at a stalemate. After a defeat in the first ODI in Auckland Shikhar Dhawan’s side was unfortunate to level the series in Hamilton as the second ODI was washed out and still trail by 0-1. Dhawan will be poised to maintain his unbeaten run as India’s captain in an ODI series as his record hangs by a threat.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted photos of players training and warming up for the third ODI on Wednesday on its Twitter handle. The players were seen training in bright sunshine outdoors while also giving a good view of the sky, with less possibility of rain expected.

Yuzvendra Chahal and skipper Dhawan were seen taking to the nets while other players were also sweating to make the most of their chances. India will look to close the series on high and win We Wednesday will see them escape New Zealand without any brushes of series on their brief tour.

Sanju Samson to warm the bench again?

Sanju Samson who scored 36 in the opening ODI in Auckland was dropped from the Playing XI for the second ODI in Hamilton. There have been question marks on his selection in recent times and it remains to be seen whether or not he makes the Playing XI or not for the final ODI.

Samson’s form

In the bigger picture, the 28-year-old batter is a utility alternative for Team India as he can keep wickets and is handy with the bat. Samson’s last five ODI innings have yielded him 169 runs with an average of 84.50, which represents a commendable figure for him to feature in the team. His best score of 86 also makes for good reading.

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Probable Playing XI:

India: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson