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India look to consolidate gains

MOHALI:From his last ODI at Mohali, against Australia in October 2013, MS Dhoni must be having mixed memories.

India look to consolidate gains

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni during the net session ahead of the third ODI against New Zealand in Mohali. Vicky Gharu



Subhash Rajta

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 22

From his last ODI at Mohali, against Australia in October 2013, MS Dhoni must be having mixed memories. He struck a fine, unbeaten 139 but still ended up on the losing side, thanks to Ishant Sharma’s infamous over in which James Faulkner plundered 30 runs, and Australia chased down a 300-plus target for a thrilling win.

Three years down the line, when India square up against the Kiwis in the third ODI in Mohali on Sunday, Dhoni would hope for an encore with the willow and an emphatic win. It’s of course not a do-or-die game but the team heading out of Mohali with a 2-1 lead will have a far greater chance of winning the five-match series. And the Indian skipper would be pretty desperate to ensure that it’s his team that flies out with the crucial advantage, for he can ill afford to lose another ODI series. For the record, the Dhoni-led India have lost three ODI series after the 2015 World Cup — the string of losses started with the loss in Bangladesh, India’s first ever series loss to the minnows of the yesteryears, followed by a loss to South Africa at home and a 4-1 hammering in Australia.

In this backdrop, the Mohali ODI becomes quite crucial for Dhoni and Team India. Throw Dhoni’s form — his last hundred was the one he scored here three years back, and has gone without a half-century for 13 games now — into the mix and the situation for the Indian skipper becomes even more desperate. From his face and body language, though, it’s impossible to gauge the storm that may be brewing inside his mind — he responded with the broadest possible smile when a few schoolchildren shouted for his attention while he walked into the nets.

India favourites

Despite Dhoni’s troubles and New Zealand’s win in the second ODI, India will take the field as favourites tomorrow — that’s partly because of their strengths and partly because of New Zealand’s overdependence on skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham to get runs. The Indian batting, in the event of Virat Kohli having a rare off day, could be a little vulnerable, but it looks good overall, especially with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav also chipping in. The bowlers have been simply superb in the two ODIs and are hopeful of repeating the show on the Mohali wicket that generally offers good carry and bounce. “We have been good but there’s always room for improvement,” said leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

The Kiwis, despite the win in New Delhi, are far from being in the position they would want to be. The major concern for them is the form of their opener Martin Guptill and the misfiring middle-order, comprising Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi and Corey Anderson. “Ross is a class batsman, he has shown that for a number of years. He is a quality player, he is not far from a big score. He is still working hard at the nets,” said Kiwi pacer Tim Southee.

The misfiring New Zealand batsmen need to get their act together sooner than later, for Williamson and Latham can’t see them past the finish line every time all by themselves.

Live on Star Sports (1.30pm) 

Mohali stats 

  • Highest total: 351/5 in 50 overs (SA v Netherlands, 2011)
  • Lowest total: 89 in 25 overs (Pak vs SA, 2006)
  • Highest score: 139 — MS Dhoni (Ind v Aus, 2013)
  • Best bowling: 5/21 — M Ntini (SA v Pak, 2006)
  • Highest partnership: 221 for 3nd wicket — H Amla, AB de Villiers (SA v Netherlands, 2011)
  • Most runs: 366 in 7 ODIs — Sachin Tendulkar

Raina still unavailable, Rohit looks fine 

Suresh Raina has been left out of the squad as he’s yet to recover fully from viral fever. Rohit Sharma, who was hit on his biceps in the last OD, spent a long time at the nets without any apparent discomfort. All-rounder Hardik Pandya, though, missed the practice session today.

22 Runs required by MS Dhoni to become the third wicketkeeper to score 9000 runs in ODIs. Kumar Sangakkara and Adam Gilchrist are the other two.

3 Matches India has won out of their last four ODIs in Mohali.

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