The last time India played New Zealand at Wankhede, India won that match by 372 runs.
After a convincing 2-0 win over India in Pune, New Zealand will look for a similar pitch for the third and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium. However, according to TOI, the field for the Wankhede Test, which begins on Friday, is not expected to change range.
On Monday, Ashish Bhowmick, BCCI’s chief proposal curator, along with elite panel curator Taposh Chatterjee, met Wankhede curator Ramesh Mamunkar to evaluate the proposal.
“It will be a sports court. Right now there is a little grass on the field. He is expected to be good at batting on Day 1 but should offer turn to spinners from Day 2,” a reliable source told TOI.
In December 2021, India faced New Zealand in the final Test at Wankhede and achieved an impressive victory by 372 runs. The pitch favored the spin bowlers, and India batted first and scored 325 runs. They then eliminated New Zealand by just 62 runs. With a substantial lead, India declared their second innings at 276 for 7, setting a target of 540 for New Zealand, who were eventually bowled out for 167 in their final innings.
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Ravichandran Ashwin had a great match, he took 8 wickets. New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel also made headlines by taking 10 wickets in the first innings and 4 wickets in the second, finishing with a total of 14 wickets.
The third test is more than just a pride game
India’s loss in the Test series against New Zealand will sting as it ended their unbeaten streak after 18 series in 12 years. However, the final match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Friday is important because there are 12 important World Test Championship points to be won, making it more than just a game for pride.
After the heavy defeat in Pune, India is adopting a cautious approach. Mitchell Santner took full advantage of the dry pitch, and the Indian batsmen struggled to deal with the problems caused by the left-arm New Zealand spinner, whose balls either turned or went straight.
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