With India and New Zealand locked at 1-1 in the three-match T20I series, all eyes will be on the deciding match at Thiruvananthpuram on Tuesday.
New Zealand’s limited-overs tour of India has seen some tense and hard-fought matches and the final T20I promises to be no different.
We look at the key talking points ahead of the Thiruvananthpuram game with both teams striving to capture the trophy.
Mohammad Siraj in the firing line
While it was a special moment for the 23-year-old pacer to make his maiden India bow in the second T20I at Rajkot, his introduction to international cricket did not go as he would have hoped for.
Picked in the side on the back of a strong Ranji Trophy showing and the IPL, Siraj was taken to the cleaners by the Blackcaps batsmen, especially Colin Munro.
Despite claiming his maiden international wicket in the form of Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson, Siraj’s figures of 1-53 off his four overs might lead to a rethink on the part of the Indian team management ON Tuesday’s selection.
Kuldeep Yadav or extra batsman conundrum for Virat Kohli
While Siraj’s debut might have shown Kohli that the youngster is still not fully ready for the rigors of international cricket, who replaces him in the playing XI remains a sticking point.
With India playing only five specialist batsmen along with wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni in the first two matches, the Indian think tank will definitely be debating the need for a Dinesh Karthik or Manish Pandey to shore up the batting.
On the other hand, the wrist-spin option of Kuldeep Yadav will also be an option for Kohli. The young left-arm spinner has not been picked in the side since the first ODI and he will be itching to get back into the groove of things.
With all-rounder Hardik Pandya providing the third seamer option, the decision to go with an extra batsman or Yadav might well boil down to the conditions on offer.
The Indian think tank could opt for Kuldeep in place of Siraj.
Tom Latham to make a return for decider?
Tom Latham has been the pick of New Zealand’s batsmen in the limited-overs tour so far with his sparkling century in the first ODI helping the Blackcaps pull off a stunning chase.
The 25-year-old has come on leaps and bounds on the tour so far with assured performances for the majority of the games. The left-hander has looked indomitable against both pace and spin in the tour so far, especially the latter.
His sweeps and reverse sweeps have turned out to be a potent weapon to negate India’s spinners and in light of that, the decision to drop him for the Rajkot T20I makes little sense.
He could very well be in line to make a return for the crunch clash on Tuesday with the series on the line.
Latham has looked indomitable in the series so far.