India will look to replicate the form of the first two ODIs and take an unassailable lead in the five-match series when they take on hosts, New Zealand in the third ODI on January 28 in Mount Maunganui.
Team News
India has been on a roll in the Southern Hemisphere and they have carried over the form of the Australian summer across the Tasman Sea.
Kohli will want to ensure his team clinches the series before he leaves for India. The Indian skipper will fly back home after the third ODI as a part of the workload management program. His absence will open up a slot in the playing XI but India is expected to not tinker too much with the winning combination tomorrow.
The only spot that will be under the scanner will be Ambati Rayudu's. Although the 33-year-old scored 47 off 49 balls, his innings betrayed the flow of a man in form. He walked in at a time India was cruising but failed to carry forward the momentum in the second ODI. With Dinesh Karthik breathing down his neck and Shubman Gill waiting in the reserves, he will have to put in a convincing performance.
The second ODI once again proved the advantage of having two wrist spinners as Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal gave an encore of their performance picking up six wickets between them.
As for the hosts, after a successful series against Sri Lanka, things suddenly look very gloomy. The top-order is not firing and neither is the middle-order holding up. The Kiwis do not have any batsmen in the reserves either and will be looking at the same batsmen to find form.
Doug Bracewell's fiery half-century in the lower order will give Kane Williamson confidence and he will definitely keep his place in the playing XI. However, fellow pace-bowling allrounder Colin de Grandhomme may not and Mitchell Santner may return to the team in his place.
Probable XIs
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pitch and conditions
The pitch at Bay Oval is a batting paradise and is expected to be no different on Monday. The two teams possess plenty of stroke makers who will enjoy the true bounce of the surface and can hit through the line.
The weather is expected to be cloudy with temperatures ranging in the mid 20 degree Celsius. Although no rain is forecast, a gentle breeze is expected. This will certainly make the Indians feel relieved following the difficult weather conditions in Australia.
