Hardik Pandya was "surprised" by the pitch in Ranchi, but "shocked" by what was available in Lucknow. And when the topic of conversation leading up to a series finale is primarily the playing surface, especially when India's cherished record of 12 undefeated home series is at stake, something has to give.
The third and final T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Ahmedabad, which has seen plenty of discussions about pitches in the past. Additionally, neither team would desire another difficult T20 surface where Lockie Ferguson or Deepak Hooda would bowl more overs than Mark Chapman or Yuzvendra Chahal combined.
Regardless of the outcome of the pitch, India will be aware that work needs to be done, particularly with a youthful team attempting to get ready for 2024. The T20I rubber hasn't been as straightforward for the hosts after a comfortable ODI victory. In Ranchi, their death bowling cost them, but two days later, India passed a target of 100 with just one ball remaining, putting their batting under scrutiny. However, the difficult circumstances stole the show and made it difficult for the team to gauge their success. Arshdeep Singh, for instance, bowled the 20th over once more after receiving criticism in the first T20I, but the fact that he was up against a squad that was faltering at 94/8 hardly gave credence to his five-run final over.
This is a fantastic chance for New Zealand. They are in with a chance to defeat India in a T20I series at home, which has only belonged to Australia and West Indies in the previous eight years, despite being missing a number of their frontline players including Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, and Tim Southee. That will be a tremendous boost for Mitchell Santner's team, and, pitch permitting, expect the side to create a strong push for the home team.
When: Wednesday, 1 February, 2023 from 7:00 PM local
Where: India vs NZ, 3nd T20I, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
What to expect: an uneasy curator. And a good number of applause for Hardik Pandya, the Gujarat Titans skipper who is currently in charge of the India T20I team. Teams have typically preferred to bat second here, as they do on most Indian grounds, but India recently demonstrated that it is possible to defend targets by winning two of their past three games against England. However, those games were played in March; whereas, this one might experience some dew. Although Ahmedabad has both red and black soil fields, it will be intriguing to see which one is used for the game. Regardless, anticipate the arena to be packed to capacity once more.
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On February 4, the ACC will convene in Bahrain and a decision about the Asia Cup is anticipated