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New Zealand have been dealt a major blow as their captain Kane Williamson will miss the third T20I against India scheduled to take place on 22 November in Napier. The NZ skipper has made himself unavailable for the series decider as he has to attend a pre-arranged medical appointment. However, he will be back before the first ODI. Tim Southee will lead the side in Williamson’s absence.
With the series on the line, Williamson's absence might hurt the Kiwis. The first T20I of the three-match series got washed away due to rain while India won the second one quite comprehensively. The Hardik Pandya-led side defeated the hosts by 65 runs as Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda stole the show with the bat and ball respectively. Meanwhile, captain Kane Williamson fought the lone battle for New Zealand as he scored a 52-ball 61.
Williamson got no support from any of his teammates apart from Devon Conway. The wicketkeeper-batter scored a 22-ball 25 and stitched a 56-run partnership with his captain for the second wicket. But after Conway was dismissed, it was start and stop for New Zealand as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Eventually, the Kiwis got bowled out for 126 as Deepak Hooda put the final nail in the coffin.
The off-spinner had a great day with the ball after getting dismissed for a golden duck. Hood bagged a total of four wickets as he dismissed Daryl Mitchell, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne, and Tim Southee. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj bagged two wickets each. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Washington Sundar also scalped a wicket apiece but it was all about Suryakumar Yadav.
The No.1 T20I batter showed why he is considered the best in the world as Yadav scored a 51-ball 111*. Sent in to bat at No.3, Yadav took the New Zealand bowlers to the cleaners as he hit 11 boundaries and 7 sixes in his inning. He was also named the Player of the Match for his knock.