Auckland: Their campaign in tatters after two consecutive defeats, India need to regroup quickly and find the right combination as they go into a must-win match against a gutsy New Zealand in the third cricket one-dayer here tomorrow.
Down 0-2 and having lost the world no. 1 tag, the Indian team would be desperate to make amends and stamp their authority in what will be their last chance to make a come back into the five-match series.
If Dhoni's men fail to win here tomorrow, it will be their second consecutive series loss after South Africa outside the subcontinent.
The visitors lost the first ODI at Napier by 24 runs and then went down in the second one-dayer by 15 runs (D/L method) at Hamilton, which dethroned India from the number one ranking in the ODIs.
Overall, Dhoni and Co. have lost four of their last five One-dayers, all of which were played outside the sub-continent. This has undoubtedly opened up a number of points for the concerned team to ponder upon.
The fact that the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni likes to chase, opting to bowl first in both matches so far, the size of Eden Park here should be another worry for him.
The Indians have looked to contain the batsmen in the middle of the innings before restricting the damage in the death overs, and this strategy has so far backfired. It is because not many wickets have fallen until the 35th over.
Only three wickets fell before the 35th over in Napier, with Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor batting since the eighth over. It was much the similar case in Hamilton.
R Ashwin has not taken a single wicket in the last two ODIs. But the blame doesn't lie with him alone, since Dhoni uses his main bowlers in short bursts and makes them bowl during the powerplays as well as death overs. If the idea is to contain runs rather than taking wickets, it is precisely where the Indian bowling is failing.
Whilst batting in the nets, Raina picked up a knock on his left arm, treated with ice-packs and heavily bandaged. But if he is able to pick his bat, he is expected to play, in what is arguably a make-or-break game for him.
With the series on the line here, Dhoni must re-think of the playing XI with Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey and Varun Aaron sitting on the bench. Will the team think-tank look to make changes or will they stick to their guns of fielding the current eleven will be something to watch out for.
Even as the visiting camp may seem chaotic, the hosts are particularly calm and composed.
Since New Zealand have a cushion of two victories going ahead, they will be looking to close-out the series in the third match itself, given that the fourth ODI is again in Hamilton where the square is arguably slower.
While windy Wellington could be fairly unpredictable for a series finale.
The drop-in pitch at Eden Park will keep their bowlers very interested. Hamish Bennett, with his lively pace, is expected to come into contention for a place in the side as the pitch curator Blair Christiansen assured that the wicket will generate some pace and bounce, enticing both batsmen and bowlers.
The boundaries down the ground are shorter than 55 metres while the square boundaries at 66 meters are longest parts of this makes-shift cricket stadium. It allowed two chases of 200-plus in the domestic T20 matches here recently.
It will bring short bowling into play as well. Needless to say, India will again be on trial in more ways than one.
Teams (from):
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi (wk), Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Hamish Bennett.
India: MS Dhoni (captain & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishwar Pandey, Varun Aaron, Amit Mishra.
