India aim to clinch New Zealand ODI series at their third-largest venue

After a year that saw out-of-context ODIs, the 50-over format has seen a rise in stocks with India and New Zealand being at the forefront of it.

Virat Kohli seems to be back to his imperious best in his comfort format, 200s have started to flow more often and are no longer like elusive shooting starts, and the ODI World Cup coming up in India has made sure the teams start taking it more seriously.

What Michael Bracewell did in the first ODI against India in Hyderabad has made a statement that while it is a slower format, the flair of T20 will remain and add to it. *Though the fans were hoping for Suryakumar Yadav to do it.*

Besides some of the individual performances, New Zealand defeating Pakistan 2-1 in their own backyard also made things spicier.

India vs New Zealand is the fourth ODI series involving Test-playing nations and only the third high-profile ODI series in 2023 and the teams stood up to the expectations at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

The action now moves to Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh, as it will witness its first-ever international cricket match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium – the third-largest stadium in India, and fourth-largest in the world.

The venue has a 60,000-spectator capacity and will hope to make a statement to invite more matches in the future.

The Men-in-Blue will look to seal the series – second consecutive after beating Sri Lanka – while the Blackcaps will try to stay alive and make sure the third ODI is not a dead rubber.

India will give an extended run to Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the absence of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. And another century is expected from one of the top three.

While a Virat Kohli century will surely put focus on the countdown to his 50 ODI centuries, a century by Rohit Sharma will bring a lot of relief in the camp and his personal confidence after a drought of sorts.

The bowling might take a little bit of hit after they proved too lavish – Shardul Thakur might make way for Umran Malik.

Indians have struggled to stop the opponent’s tail from wagging. Bangladesh were allowed twice to take the game away in December 2022 as Mehidy Miraz Hasan became a nightmare for Indian bowlers. Against Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka toyed to score a century, although in a defeat. And Bracewell started the series with a bang. The team management will want to address the issue.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will expect a better performance with the ball and from the top order. While Bracewell and Mitchell Santner salvaged their number-one ranking, it will be unfair to expect them to continue doing that.

The absence of Kane Williamson and Tim Southee might impact them a bit too much, but the new joiners Finn Allen, Henry Shipley, and Blair Tickner have a chance to stand up.

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