INDORE: India may have to reassess its bowling combination for the series-deciding third ODI against New Zealand here on Sunday after its spinners were outplayed and its batters struggled to break free against the visitor’s slow bowlers in the first two matches.
The second ODI in Rajkot, which New Zealand won comfortably to level the series 1-1, exposed India’s middle-overs vulnerabilities.
Chief among them was the struggle of Kuldeep Yadav, who failed to exert control or pose a consistent wicket-taking threat as New Zealand’s batters, led by Daryl Mitchell, tackled him with confidence.
Kuldeep was attacked for both length and trajectory, with Mitchell in particular using his feet to negate the turn and disrupt India’s plans through the middle overs.
The Kiwi batters swept him very effectively, a strategy that worked well for them in Test matches too.
India’s spinners as a group were unable to apply sustained pressure, a stark contrast to the effectiveness of the Kiwi spinners, who choked the home team’s scoring rate and forced errors.
The Indore venue, known for its short boundaries and batting-friendly surfaces, places a premium on discipline rather than mere variation.
India’s bowlers, particularly Kuldeep, will need to bowl flatter, attack the stumps and use the bigger pockets of the ground smartly, rather than offering flight that can be easily exploited.
Controlling the lengths and cutting down boundary options will be critical on a ground where mis-hits often go for six.
Washington ruled out of T20I series
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was on Friday added to India’s T20I squad for the five-match series against New Zealand in place of injured all-rounder Washington Sundar, who will miss the rubber starting January 21 in Nagpur.
Seasoned batter Shreyas Iyer too has been drafted in for the first three T20Is against the Kiwis after Tilak Varma was ruled out because of a side strain.
Bishnoi has taken 61 wickets from 42 T20Is, and the last of which came against England in February 2025.
“Washington Sundar underwent scans after reporting an acute onset discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on 11 January,” the BCCI added.
Washington will now head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for recuperation.
“This was followed by an in-person consultation with an expert. He has been diagnosed with a side strain and has been advised rest for a few days, following which he will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) for further management of his injury,” it added.
India’s updated T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ravi Bishnoi