Team India will lock horns with New Zealand in the final T20I of the three-match series on Tuesday, November 22, at McLean Park in Napier. While rain washed out the first match, India won the second T20I comprehensively by 65 runs on Sunday to take a vital 1-0 lead in the series.
New Zealand's stand-in captain Tim Southee won the toss and opted to bat first. Kane Williamson will miss this contest due to a prior medical appointment. Mark Chapman replaced him in the playing XI. The Men in Blue also made one change to their side as Harshal Patel came in for Washington Sundar.
Here are the playing XIs:
India XI: Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.
New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee(c), Lockie Ferguson.
Fans were disappointed to see talented players like Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, and Umran Malik continuing to warm the bench. They expressed their views on the same through hilarious memes on social media platforms.
Here is a collection of the best ones:
"I have been playing as an all-rounder since my debut"- Deepak Hooda on his role in the Indian side
Deepak Hooda opened up that he is working hard on his bowling during the practice sessions as the team management sees him as a batting all-rounder who bats in the middle order. Despite not getting much game time over the last few months, Hooda revealed that he kept training in the nets to hone his bowling skills.
Speaking ahead of the third T20I against New Zealand, Hooda said:
"I am a batting all-rounder, so scoring runs is very important, but I'm working on my bowling as well and want to chip in whenever the team needs me. I have been playing as an all-rounder since my debut, I have worked hard on my bowling over the last 3 months, even when I'm not featuring in the team."
He added:
"I would like to bat at 5, we have a legend playing at 3 and I have to be realistic. It's a problem at times to adapt to batting at 5 or 6, but I have done that role as I am an utility player and need to play according to the situation of the game."
Do you think Deepak Hooda should get a consistent run in the Indian T20I side? Sound off in the comments section.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news