Rain Washes Out Third ODI Between India And New Zealand

The third ODI between India and New Zealand was abandoned due to rain at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday, leaving the visitors with a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

India captain Shubman Gill won the toss for the third consecutive time and elected to bowl, naming an unchanged playing XI. However, persistent rain prevented the match from getting underway.

Rain Forces Match Abandonment

The ground staff had begun removing the covers as officials prepared for a 40-over contest, but another spell of rain interrupted proceedings.

With at least 70 minutes remaining before the local cut-off time of 7:50 pm for a 20-over match, the umpires eventually called off the game.

Rain had been forecast throughout the day, with the possibility of precipitation remaining at 90 per cent.

Gill And Rahul To Join Test Squad

The abandoned match was scheduled to be the final ODI appearance in the series for Gill and senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul before they join India’s Test squad in Wellington.

Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj and Mohammed Siraj will also link up with the Test squad.

Shreyas Iyer will captain India in the final two ODIs in Tauranga in Gill’s absence. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan are expected to feature in the playing XI as India look to maintain their series advantage.

The final two matches are scheduled for November 13 and 15.