India vs New Zealand: Top 3 New Zealand Players To Watch Out For In The IND vs NZ 3rd Test

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the third Test match in India vs New Zealand's 2024 test series from November 1-5. With New Zealand leading the series after their thrilling victory in Pune, both teams are preparing for the final. At the iconic Wankhede Stadium, India will try to prolong their home advantage, while New Zealand will want to win the last game and keep up their recent success. Moreover, throughout the series, the Kiwis have outplayed India in every instance and have been playing superior cricket than the hosts. With Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway guiding their batting, Tom Latham's New Zealand team has demonstrated tenacity and poise. The Kiwis will depend on Santner's spin abilities at Wankhede after his impressive performance in Pune. Tim Southee and Matt Henry, who are both fast bowlers, will also try to disrupt India's top order.

For the first time since 2012, the men in blue have suffered a home test series defeat, making this series a huge letdown. Everyone was taken aback by New Zealand's performance, particularly following their recent 2-0 series loss to Sri Lanka. The Kiwis' youthful guns demonstrated their abilities in the absence of standout players like Trent Boult and Kane Williamson. The Indian squad, on the other hand, would be hoping to win the last test and prevent a clean sweep. Their biggest concern is the dearth of runs from seasoned players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Moreover, Jasprit Bumrah is yet to take any wickets in the series. The fans, however, are looking for something special from them in the Wankhede Test, and they have the experience and capacity to come back strong. But the Kiwis wouldn’t let that happen that easily as their young daggers would be ready to pierce India’s armor provided by their home conditions. 

3 New Zealand Players To Watch Out For The India vs New Zealand 3rd Test

The third test between India and New Zealand is expected to be an exciting match for the series. India has a little advantage because of their experience with the Wankhede field, even if both teams are evenly matched. However, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for the Kiwis as we can see in the entire series so far how they have managed to tackle the Indian conditions along with coping with some unfavorable weather conditions on some occasions. In both matches, the New Zealand bowlers and batsmen displayed such adeptness on Indian wickets that even the Indian players paled in comparison. Besides, they have some of the best players in the world right now at their disposal who have the might to turn the fate of the game single-handedly. They will need all their might in this decider match as a win in Wankhede not only means a clean sweep against India in India but also some crucial World Test Championship points which can be of great help in getting them a ticket to the WTC 2025 Final.

Rachin Ravindra

An emerging star of the New Zealand cricket squad, Rachin Ravindra has quickly established himself in almost all formats. Ravindra caused a stir at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India by scoring 578 runs in ten innings, including two fifties and three hundreds. In the current IND vs NZ Test series too, Ravindra's innings of 134 runs in the first Test was crucial to New Zealand taking a decisive advantage. His finesse against both speed and spin was a really graceful stroke-play demonstration. The fact that Rachin Ravindra's valiant knock came off of just 157 balls is a testament to his remarkable strike rate, which is outstanding by Test standards. The young dagger helped his side to a decent total of 402 runs by smashing the Indian bowlers for 13 fours and 4 sixes. Similarly in the second match, he played a supporting role in the first innings which was vital in putting the Kiwis in a position of advantage.

Devon Conway

During the first Test, rapid runs were the norm due to the continual threat of rain. Devon Conway did just that for the guests. His brilliant 91 at the top of the order put India's bowlers on the defensive. He added a lot of runs to his team's total with three sixes and eleven fours in just 105 balls. He significantly damaged the confidence of the Indian bowlers, which allowed New Zealand to eventually surpass the 400-run mark. In the second match too, he gave his team enough runs with which his team could overpower the hosts. His proficiency on Indian wickets makes him a potential threat to the Indian cause in the final match.

Mitchell Santner

He was the dark horse for the BlackCaps in the second Test match where he almost overshadowed Indian spinners on the Indian pitch which is a feat that only the best of the best can achieve. He terrorized the Indian batsmen with his bowling prowess and took a total of 13 wickets in the match. He is anticipated to be the biggest thorn in the way of the Indian victory in Mumbai.