2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 3rd T20I vs New Zealand

Team India tied a rain-affected third T20I against New Zealand in Napier on Tuesday, November 22 to seal the three-match series with a 1-0 scoreline. At the end of the ninth over of the second innings, the Men in Blue were right on par with the DLS score as the game was called off.

Mohammed Siraj was adjudged the Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul, which helped break the back of the New Zealand innings at the death. Suryakumar Yadav, who smashed an unbeaten hundred in the second T20I, walked away with the Player of the Series award.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke by India in the third T20I vs New Zealand.

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#3 Mistake - Team selection

New Zealand v India - 2nd T20

Team selection has been an area of concern for quite a while now, with Team India failing to hit the nail on the head once again.

Their decision to bring in Harshal Patel made sense since the pacer hadn't played in a while, but leaving out Washington Sundar after just one game was harsh. Harshal could've replaced either Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Arshdeep Singh, both of whom played throughout the T20 World Cup.

Conspicuous by his absence was express pacer Umran Malik, who warmed the bench for another game despite hie unique skillset. India could've made changes to the batting unit too. It might've been wise to rest Suryakumar and bring in Sanju Samson, who has been in a rich vein of international form.

Hardik Pandya and the team management probably wanted some stability, with the series not yet secured. Perhaps a solitary game wouldn't have been enough for the likes of Umran and Samson, but surely one's better than none?

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#2 Masterstroke - Hardik Pandya's counter-attack

New Zealand v India - 3rd T20

India just about managed to scrape level with the DLS score at the end of nine overs, with a fortuitous misfield giving them a single that proved invaluable in the context of the game. The reason they got close, however, was Pandya's counterattack in the second half of the powerplay.

After India lost Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer off consecutive deliveries in the third over, Pandya walked in at No. 5. He lived a charmed life in his first five balls at the crease, with balls falling short of various fielders both in the circle and in the deep. He had raced to 15 by then, albeit in rather streaky fashion, and didn't look back.

Pandya smacked a four and a six in Tim Southee's third over to put India in the ascendancy and was content to nurdle the ball around thereafter. His counterattack proved to be the difference between a series win and a painful rain-enforced loss.

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#1 Mistake - Shot selection

New Zealand v India - 2nd T20

For the second game running, India's batters fell victim to poor shots.

Rishabh Pant, who played a nothing shot to hole out in the second T20I, was dismissed in similar fashion in Napier too. The southpaw attempted an agricultural mow off a short-and-wide delivery, only to be caught by a diving Ish Sodhi at third man.

Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, found a fielder on the square leg boundary after being harried by Adam Milne. The boundary, barely 60 meters long, saw batters from both sides clear it with ease across both innings.

Shreyas Iyer, who walked in at No. 4, steered a chest-high delivery from Southee straight to slip. Even Suryakumar's dismissal just after the powerplay was bizarre as he attempted to aerially flick a good-length ball from Sodhi. That can be excused, since he's the #1-ranked T20I batter in the world, but Pant, Kishan and Shreyas need to take a long look at themselves in the mirror.