India win toss and bowl in Hamilton, but rain returns after the toss in the third ODI

India won the toss and chose to bowl against New Zealand in the third ODI at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Tuesday, 10 November, but rain began to fall soon after the captains walked off and the pitch was covered again. The start had already been held up by wet conditions before the toss.

Shubman Gill said after the toss that he hoped the weather would clear. A game that keeps stopping and starting is frustrating, he said, and India would like to play continuously. Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand captain, said his side wanted to do better than it had in the previous game and would first have to judge the conditions.

Teams

India kept the same XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, Auqib Nabi and Gurnoor Brar.

New Zealand made one change. Matt Fisher comes in for the pace bowler Blair Tickner, who was struck by a ball while batting in the second ODI. He has been cleared of concussion but must sit out the ICC’s mandatory seven-day stand-down. The rest of the side is Will Young, Tim Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Santner, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy.

What is at stake

India lead the five-match series 2-0, so a win in Hamilton would settle it. Gill will not play the last two ODIs in Tauranga, where Shreyas Iyer is due to lead the side, because he moves to the red-ball squad ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington.

The hosts have injuries of their own. Lockie Ferguson is out of the fourth and fifth ODIs with a calf tear, and Matt Henry is aiming to return for the fourth match.