Match: India v New Zealand
Date: 8 October, Saturday to 12 October, Wednesday
Time: 12pm SGT/9:30am IST/5am BST
Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
TV Channel: In Singapore, the live coverage of the 3rd Test match between India and New Zealand will be on Star Cricket.
Live Streaming: Hotstar
Overview
India play New Zealand in the final Test of the three-match series at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
The cricket stadium in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh will host its first ever Test match from October 8. Indore has been abuzz with cricket and fans have reportedly stormed the stadium in large numbers for practise sessions as well.
Despite the third Test being a dead rubber after India won the first two matches at Kanpur and Kolkata, Holkar is expected to see a good crowd during the weekend.
New Zealand will be more than happy to have Kane Williamson back for the third Test. The Black Caps skipper, who missed the Kolkata Test after being hit by a bug, was seen practising at Indore amidst cheers from the crowd.
It will be an important Test for the visitors to win back some momentum before they head into the three-match One Day International series against MS Dhoni's Men in Blue.
However, the track in Indore is expected to be spin friendly and reportedly might start turning right from the second day, which could pose troubles to New Zealand batting unit.
Also, Martin Guptill's form at the top of the batting order should worry the visitors. The right-hander has been able to score only 58 runs over the two Tests and is facing the risk of being dropped for the Indore Test.
A lot will depend on all-rounder Jimmy Neesham's fitness before coach Mike Hesson decides on the combination ahead of the match. If the batting all-rounder, who is recovering from a rib injury gets fit in time, he might be slotted into the middle order giving Luke Ronchi an opportunity to open with Tom Latham.
Williamson would want his teammate Ross Taylor to step up as the duo would be hoping to reduce the pressure on an inexperienced middle order. It would be interesting to see whether New Zealand go into the match with three spinners. Jeetan Patel, who impressed in his comeback Test in Kolkata, will likely hold his place in the squad along with Mitchell Santner. On a turning track, Ish Sodhi might as well be tried.
On the other hand, the hosts would be keen on testing the bench strength. Kohli had maintained that his team would keep up the intensity despite taking the unassailable lead.
Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir is likely to replace injured Shikhar Dhawan on Saturday. The left-hander, who last played for India in 2014, would be itching to come up with a good show and make himself a formidable candidate for the opening spot as the number one-ranked Test team has a long home season in the coming months.
Shardul Thakur, who has been impressive in the domestic circuit, will likely partner Mohammad Shami in the absence of injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra might get to play but it remains to be seen if Kohli rests Ravichandran Ashwin and gives an opportunity to young off-spinner Jayant Yadav. Notably, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested for the first three ODIs against the visitors.
Williamson and his men would want to put up a stiff fight for one last time in the Test series. However, spin friendly conditions in Indore might hamper New Zealand's plans.
TV Schedule
Singapore: Star Cricket
India: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3
New Zealand: Sky Sports 3
UK: Sky Sports 2
USA: Willow TV
Team News
India
Possible XI: Virat Kohli (c), Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami
New Zealand
Possible XI: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi, Ross Taylor, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, BJ Watling (wk), Jeetan Patel, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner
