3rd T20I: New Zealand win toss, opt to bat against India

Napier, Nov 22 (IANS) New Zealand captain Tim Southee won the toss and opted to bat first against India in the third and final T20I which was delayed due to rain at the McClean Park, here on Tuesday.

New Zealand made one change in the playing XI as Mark Chapman came in place of regular captain Kane Williamson, who is missing this game due to a pre-arranged medical appointment.

"We will bat. Looks like a pitch where we can put the runs on the board. We can't really control the weather, but the history of this ground suggests good batting conditions. Our bowling the other night wasn't the best, but credit to SKY. Mark Chapman comes in straightaway. You look back at places where we can improve as a team," said Southee at the toss.

On the other hand, the Hardik Pandya-led India, who are leading the three-match series 1-0, made one change as Harshal Patel came in place of Washington Sundar.

"We wanted to bowl first anyway, so we got what we wanted. I think the pitch will remain the same for the entire 40 overs, but with the grass on it, there could be some lateral movement for our pacers. We do keep the dimensions in mind, but we do have the skill-set in our bowling line-up. We can't think too much about the conditions - One change, Harshal comes in place of Washington Sundar," said Hardik.

Playing XIs:

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee(c), Lockie Ferguson.

India : Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.