IND vs NZ: The third match of the 3-Test series between India and New Zealand will be played in Mumbai from 1 November. The Kiwi team has already won the series by winning matches in Bengaluru and Pune. Now the Indian team’s eyes are on avoiding whitewash. New Zealand has made history by breaking India’s 12-year home Test invincibility.
The challenge in front of the Indian team is to avoid the series whitewash on their home ground. No team has been able to whitewash India at home in a series of three or more matches. South Africa won the first two-match series 2–0. Now the challenge in front of India is to maintain another 12-year record. Team India’s performance in Mumbai has always been good and now it is to see how Rohit Sharma’s army returns.
India has a great record at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, but it is not so good. The team has played 26 Tests here since 1975 and won 12 of them. The Indians have lost seven matches and drawn seven. Team India has lost only one in the last 5 matches here. Their last defeat was against England in 2012. Since then, India has been invincible here for 12 years.
The last Test played at the Wankhede Stadium was between India and New Zealand. In December 2021, Kiwi team’s left-arm spinner Ejaz Patel took all 10 wickets in an innings here. Ijaz became the first New Zealand bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings and the third in history. However, India had a big win by 372 runs.
Team India has no chance to claim the series, but they can pile up the series with some sweet notes before flying to Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, where India and Australia will lock horns with each other in five test matches, straiting from November 22. India’s last test match against New Zealand will be 1-5 November in Mumbai Wankhede Stadium. Captain Rohit Sharma and Coach Gautam Gambhir are likely to think about multiple changes in the playing XI for the remaining match of the ongoing series.