India vs New Zealand Prediction: New Zealand aiming for a whitewash

India and New Zealand are going head to head in the Match 3 of Test Series at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India on 01 November, 2024. New Zealand aiming for a whitewash against all odds. Who will win this game of cricket?

 Team India is in an almighty mess as they wait to play their last test match in Mumbai after being outmaneuvered by New Zealand. The top and middle-order batsmen have been a let down. While Yashasvi Jaiswal has shown great form with 155 runs in 4 innings, the star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have not been able to make much of an impact with 88 and 62 runs respectively. The recent failures of Shubman Gill are expected to turn around in the next Test match.

Rishabh Pant has shown some good batting skills but needs to avoid unnecessary dismissals. Sarfaraz Khan, a Mumbai boy, is likely to shine on the home turf. India's bowling has been pretty ordinary, especially the spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. However, Ashwin has a great record at the Wankhede Stadium with 38 wickets in 5 Tests. Washington Sundar's performance in the last match shows that he can be a game-changer for India.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk)/ Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand has just made history as the team sealed victory over India in a Test series. The team has impressed in both matches and is now eyeing a whitewash victory. Mitchell Santner rose to the test as he had taken 13 wickets in the recently played Test when spins dominated the pitch for him and has gone quite impressive. Support came from Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips while others like Tim Southee and William O'Rourke have done their work practically good.

Rachin Ravindra has been the best player with 247 runs in 4 innings at a fabulous average of 82.33. The leadership by the captain Tom Latham was visible in the last match's second innings as he scored valuable 86 runs on a challenging pitch. Devon Conway, Will Young, Tom Blundell, and Glenn Phillips have not been big scorers but have shown fight and made crucial contributions for the team.

With regular captain Kane Williamson still out of the equation for the third Test, New Zealand's batting would have to repeat the performance that it showed in the second Test.

Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke

Though New Zealand has won the series, there is much to be played for in the last game. For Kiwis, the whitewash win would emphasize their dominance; while India is keen to salvage pride and add to their points in the World Test Championship. The hosts are surely motivated by the memory of their last meeting at Wankhede where they bowled out New Zealand for 62 in an effort to help India take a massive lead of 372 runs. But this New Zealand team is very confident and much tougher to confront now.

India, though from the earlier loss, will gain momentum at home where they have been impressive. Supportive local crowd, pride to redeem themselves, and comfort with the conditions might act as a catalyst for just the kind of victory India needs. We are seeing more of an Indian resistance coming and expect them to be good enough to seal it in the final contest.