Rain threatens to spoil series decider and Thiruvananthapuram's debut

"All tickets for T20 match sold out," reads a board outside the Kerala Cricket Association office, three days before the final T20I. For a town that sleeps early, Thiruvananthapuram might just make an exception on Tuesday as India and New Zealand battle it out in the T20I series decider.

It's taken more than three years for international cricket to come to Kerala, and it comes in the form of cricket's shortest format - moving base from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram. Green Fields, which is set to host the encounter, is set to become the 50th international venue in the country.

However, all the fanfare and jazz around the game threaten to be dampened by a looming threat of rain. Two spells of showers are expected on the day of the match, and even if the game manages to go on, courtesy the sub-air system in place, the possibility of a curtailed encounter is high.

Given India's latest experiment of going in with five frontline bowlers, apart from Hardik Pandya, a shortened match could aid their trial. While it could mean the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya could be more dangerous, the likes of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma - who can be slow-starters - would have to change their approach.

New Zealand can be equally dangerous in such a scenario, especially if Colin Munro, who scored a century in the last match, hangs in.

Both the teams decided to take rest on the eve of the match, and will have a practice session only just before the game. Given that it's a new ground where none of the players have earlier played, and the complexities of the weather, the playing conditions will remain a surprise. As a result, both the sides will finalise on the playing XI only a few hours prior to the start of the match.

If the recent domestic match between Kerala and Jharkhand is anything to go by, it is going to aid spinners - 26 of the 31 wickets fell to spinners in less than three days. And in that regard, New Zealand have aced quite well. Not only have Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner managed to trouble the Indian batsmen, but the New Zealand batters have also got the better of India's spinners.

Given the middle order muddle that India has found itself in, the performance of the openers - the only two batters who seem certain of their position - remains critical. And thus, as critical remains the role of the New Zealand pacers to get the early breakthrough.

When:India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I, November 7, 19:00 IST

Where:Green Fields Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

What to expect:A couple of spells of rain is expected, mostly scattered thunderstorms. Temperature should hover around 28 degrees Celsius.

Team News:

India:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar confirmed that everyone is fit and available for selection. However, with the team having little knowledge about the conditions, the final XI will be decided only a few hours prior to the match. As far as the combination is concerned, India are unlikely to tinker with it.

New Zealand:

Much like India, New Zealand too will be making a final decision on the team and the game plan on Tuesday after assessing the conditions on the morning of the match. The pitch has assisted spinners in the recent past and that might prompt New Zealand to bring Tom Latham back into the side. In doing so, with possibility of a shorter play, they might give preference to Glenn Philips's superior skills with the gloves over Tom Bruce's batting abilities.

Did you know?

-> Virat Kohli needs 57 more runs to become the second player after Brendon McCullum to aggregate 2000 runs in T20Is.

-> India have won the third match of T20I series all the four times they played. They beat Australia in Australia and Sri Lanka in India in 2015/16 before getting the better of Zimbabwe in 2016. They also beat England in the series decider in Bengaluru earlier this year.

-> Ish Sodhi's economy rate of 6.14 is the best for any bowler in T20Is in India (minimum 25 overs).

What they said

"When your main bowler is unable to take wickets or goes for runs, there are times you think you are missing a bowler. But that hasn't happened with us. Everyone is happy with the team combination." - Bhuvneshwar Kumar

"Both Bumrah and Bhuvi have bowled well throughout the series. Bumrah is very good at the death, especially with the change of pace. We can practice as much as we want in the nets, but if in the middle, if he doesn't miss, it can get quite difficult." - Mitchell Santner

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee