Both teams made some significant alterations to their starting lineups at the toss, but the absence of speedster Jasprit Bumrah from India’s starting lineup stood out. Ace bowler Mohammed Siraj, who missed the Pune Test, took Bumrah’s place for the Wankhede match, according to captain Rohit Sharma.
On Friday, November 1, the third and final Test match of the ongoing series between New Zealand and India began. In the upcoming WTC 2023-25 cycle, the crucial Test match will be held at the historic Wankhede Stadium in the city of dreams, Mumbai.
In the meantime, Mitchell Santner, the Player of the Match from the previous match, and seasoned bowler Tim Southee were both lost to New Zealand.
Rohit adds Bumrah is not feeling well, while Santner recalls Tom Latham’s side discomfort.
The three players were unable to play in the third game of the series, and both captains gave explanations for their respective substitutions. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Tom Latham said that Matt Henry and Ish Sodhi would be replacing Southee and Santner. However, Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, stated that Siraj will take Bumrah’s position because he was ill.
“A fair amount of surface. Desire to score runs and apply pressure later. paying attention to this game. After Bengaluru won, we also did that in Pune. Last week, however, was last week. This is a new opportunity. Test cricket is a humorous game of cricket. Even though we didn’t play particularly poorly in Sri Lanka, you may still make a mistake in the outcome. We’ve kept things straightforward, so not much has changed. (Pitch) It looks nice. Adapting to the surface is crucial, whether you are bowling or batting first. Santner is out due to a side injury, while Southee is also out. NZ captain Latham declared, “Ish Sodhi and Matt Henry are in.”
“We would have also batted first. We acknowledge our poor performance in this series. However, now is the time to fix that. We’re hoping to limit them soon. (WTC final) This Test match is our current priority.
Also Read: IND vs NZ: BCCI gives concerning update on Jasprit Bumrah’s absence from 3rd Test vs New Zealand
Though we need to play our best cricket right now, which we haven’t done this series, you should put it in the back of your mind. Siraj steps in for Bumrah because he’s not feeling well,” Rohit said during the toss.
IND vs NZ, 3rd Test, Wankhede Stadium Mumbai – Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke