New Zealand and India will lock horns in the 3rd and final test of the series at the Wankhede Stadium. This match will start from the 1st of November. New Zealand will be eyeing a historic clean sweep in the series while the hosts will try their best to end the series on a high. So, let’s check out the predictions for this game including the pitch report, weather report, and possible playing XIs of both sides. 

IND vs NZ 3rd Test – Match Details 

This series has been a big disappointment for the men in blue as they have lost a test series at home for the first time since 2012. New Zealand stunned everyone with their performance especially after that recent 2-0 series defeat against Sri Lanka. In the absence of star players like Kane Williamson and Trent Boult, the young guns of kiwis showed what they are capable of. 

On the other hand, team India will be looking forward to winning the last test and avoiding the clean sweep. The major worry for them is the lack of runs from senior pros like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Jasprit Bumrah has also not been able to pick up wickets in the series so far. However, they have the experience and ability to roar back strongly and the fans are also hoping for something spectacular from them in the Wankhede Test. 

IND vs NZ Test Squads

Here are the squads of both sides for the 3rd Test,

Indian Squad 

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Y.Jaiswal, Sarfraz Khan, Shubman Gill, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Muhammad Siraj, Akash Deep.

New Zealand Squad 

Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway, Tom Blundell, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, William ORourke. 

IND vs NZ – Possible Playing XIs 

The possible playing 11s of both India and New Zealand are given below,

India 

Rohit Sharma, Y. Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfraz Khan, Rishab Pant, R Jadeda, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammmad Siraj/Akash Deep

New Zealand 

Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke/ Matt Henry

IND vs NZ 3rd Test – Pitch Report 

The pitch at the historic Wankhede Stadium is mostly a batting paradise. The red soil used in the making of this pitch allows the ball to come on the bat. The pacers will get some swing early on while the spinners will find difficulty in taking wickets here, at least for the first half of the match. 

Both captains will like to bat first on this wicket and post a big total on the board. Batting will also become difficult as the pitch will get rough. 

IND vs NZ – 3rd Test Weather Report 

The weather of Mumbai for the 3rd test is looking promising as there are no chances of rain so far. There will be some breeze throughout the day but the overall the weather will be warm and sunny. So, we can expect a complete 5 day match without any rain interruptions.

IND vs NZ – Head-to-Head in Test

There a total of 64 tests played between these two sides. The complete head to head record is given below, 

• Total Matches: 64
• New Zealand won: 22
• India won: 17
• Draw: 27
• No Result: 0

Key Players to Watch Out:

India:

• R Ashwin
• Y. Jaiswal
• R. Pant

New Zealand:

• R. Ravindra
• Tom Latham
• Tim Southee

Final Prediction

New Zealand has played excellent cricket throughout this series and outplayed India in all three departments of the game. However, India knows how to comeback and we have seen this several times in the last few months. The big guns of men in blue will need to step up and save their side from facing a 3-0 defeat. 

Hence, we predict that India will beat New Zealand in the 3rd and final test of this series in Mumbai and make it 2-1.