IND vs NZ: Will rain play spoilsport in Rajkot?

India face off against New Zealand in the penultimate game of the three-match ODI series on Wednesday, January 14, in Rajkot. The Men in Blue will be eyeing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series after

having won the opening game in Vadodara. Shubman Gill & co reinforced their prowess and depth with a strong performance over the Kiwis, winning by four wickets.

Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, New Zealand dragged themselves to 300/8 in their 50 overs despite losing wickets regularly. The tourists began well, reaching 117/0 with their openers Devon Conway (56) and Henry Nicholls (62) producing fantastic half-centuries. India dented the progress with young seamer Harshit Rana’s (2/65) second spell, where he dismissed both Conway and Nicholls.

New Zealand then slipped, going from a position of dominance to one of massive vulnerability at 239/7. But experienced No.4 Daryl Mitchell still kept fighting in the middle with his skillful knock of 84. It was his magnificent effort that allowed New Zealand to recover and eventually reach the 300-mark. Like Rana, fellow pacers Mohammed Siraj (2/40) and Prasidh Krishna (2/60) also got two wickets apiece.

The Indians would’ve been happy to have restricted the opposition below 320-330, which would’ve been harder to get on an uneven surface. Later on, chase master Virat Kohli reminded everyone of his class and genius with an outstanding knock of 93 off 91 deliveries, including 8 fours and 1 six. Captain Gill (56) and No.4 Shreyas Iyer (49) also came up with vital efforts to push India closer. KL Rahul (29*) then helped India overcome a mini-collapse with his composed innings and finish off the game in the 49th over.

Rajkot Weather Forecast For January 14

The weather forecast in Rajkot is for mostly clear skies, which should give us an uninterrupted contest. Both teams can expect cool temperatures at the height of the Indian winter season, with a low of 9 degrees Celsius and a high of 27 degrees Celsius. Also in the forecast is humidity nudging around 60 per cent and the wind flowing at close to 10 km/hour.