Auckland: New Zealand's bowling spearhead Tim Southee today warned India of short bowling in the third ODI, given that the boundaries here at the Eden Park are short and the pitch expected to be quick.
"The pitch does offer a bit of pace and bounce, but generally it is a pretty good batting surface. With the small boundaries, it is a bit daunting for the bowlers but in the last couple of games it has managed to swing around a little bit. It does generally swing in here. So, hopefully we can make the most of that," said Southee at the pre-match press conference.
"If there is a little bit of pace in the wicket, short bowling will be an option. The square boundaries are a bit bigger and it will come into play as strategy. We have plans in place for each of their batsmen. The plans had worked well in the first game," he added.
India lost that first ODI at Napier by 24 runs, with four top-order batsmen falling to the pull shot. In the second ODI at Hamilton, the visitors again fell short by 15 runs (D/L method) to go down 0-2 in the five-match series.
They have already lost the number one ODI ranking and another defeat will mean a second consecutive series loss overseas, after 0-2 in South Africa.
"It has been a good start to the series so far. We have played two pretty good games. It is important we do not get too far ahead of ourselves and take each game as it comes. We know they are a good side and have been number one in the world for a while. They will be disappointed with the first two games. They are too good a side to roll over.
"We know we have to be at our best to beat this side and hopefully we can do that tomorrow," Southee said.
In two matches so far, India have opted to bowl first but ended up falling short in the run-chase on both occasions. Eden Park is a small ground with varied boundary angles and the toss could play a vital role tomorrow.
"No, I don't think India are at a disadvantage by opting to chase. Grounds in New Zealand are small and chasing is the preferred option for a lot of sides, knowing you can chase down any score with the size of these small grounds," opined Southee.
