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New Zealand captain Tim Southee won the all-important toss in the 3rd and final T20I against India and opted to bat first at McLean Park in Napier on November 22 (Tuesday). Southee, who donned the hat of captaincy in Kane Williamson's absence, announced at the toss that Hong Kong-born all-rounder Mark Chapman is included in New Zealand's playing XI. Meanwhile, India captain Hardik Pandya announced that the Men in Blue made one change to their playing XI that features in the 2nd T20I. Harshal Patel replaced Washington Sundar in India's playing XI.
“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,” Pandya said at the coin toss.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya(c), Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee(c), Lockie Ferguson
Earlier, the toss was delayed due to rain and wet outfield but no overs were lost. India won the 2nd T20I by 65 runs as Suryakumar Yadav smashed his second hundred of the year in the shortest format of the game. The first T20I between India and New Zealand on November 18 (Friday) was called-off without a single ball bowled as the rain Gods showed no mercy at the Sky Stadium in Wellington. The relentless rain had earlier forced a delay in the toss and as the downpour continued, the game was abandoned without even the coin flip taking place.
