It remains to be seen whether India stick to their combination of three specialist pacers and two spinners combination or bring in an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav to partner Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja.
England and New Zealand have both had to ride out the storm to make this year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final. It has been far from smooth sailing for either side, but in the end it is Kane Williamson and Eoin Morgan's side who have emerged on top, and deservedly so.
A first T20 series victory in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake for the Men in Blue, who have far exceeded expectations during their three-month sojourn in this part of the world.
Sharma (62) combined with captain Kohli (60) in a 113-run partnership to set up their successful chase before Ambati Rayudu (40) completed the formalities with Dinesh Karthik, who was 38 not out, as India romped home with seven overs to spare.
Images from the Day Two of the second and final Test between New Zealand and India, at the Basin Reserve, in Wellington, on Saturday.
Explosive all-rounder Ben Stokes and relentless run accumulator Steve Smith could not be more different in their approaches to the game but both roared back from personally adversity to bestride an extraordinary cricketing year. Virat Kohli and his men top the confused and confusing World Test Championship table with seven wins in as many matches, including their first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh last month. That victory marked their 12th consecutive Test series win at home.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (919) continued to lead the batting charts, with the Australian duo of Steve Smith (891) and Marnus Labuschagne (878) rounding up the top three.
Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor got some valuable time at the wicket as New Zealand did what they needed to looking ahead to the World Cup quarter-finals with a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan at McLean Park on Sunday.
The Indian fans could get a glimpse of the immensely talented Shubman Gill in the senior team jersey if he is chosen to replace Virat Kohli for Thursday's fourth ODI against New Zealand.
Brendon McCullum's inspirational captaincy has lifted New Zealand and the flamboyant batsman should continue leading the side in all three formats at least until next year's World Twenty20, former captain Stephen Fleming said.
New Zealand are flying low at the World Cup and that suits them down to the ground, according to James Franklin. The seven-time semi-finalists are playing it cool in England and Wales, with the understated Kane Williamson at the helm.
The game features two of the world's leading batsmen captaining their sides in Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, as well as a pair of strike bowlers at the top of their game in Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.
Relishing every bit of the IPL experience in his debut season, Sun Risers Hyderabad's New Zealand import Kane Williamson is mighty impressed by the local talent available in the Sun TV-owned side.
Kohli congratulated Watling as both India and New Zealand stepped out to the field on the Reserve Day of the ongoing WTC final
Ahead of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, here's a full list of the final squads of all ten teams.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
Check out the head to head record between the World Cup finalists.
Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India will look to carry on their dominance over New Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket One-day International of the five-match series, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme guided New Zealand to a series-sweeping nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second Test in Christchurch on Monday after the visitors suffered another second-innings collapse on the fourth day.
India, Australia and Bangladesh are out of the competition, so the runs of Sharma, Warner, and Shakib will remain the same, whereas Root and Williamson will play in the final of the World Cup.
Openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro hit unbeaten half-centuries as New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in their World Cup opener in Cardiff on Saturday.
England batsman Jonny Bairstow was pleased to finally take SunRisers Hyderabad home after scoring an unbeaten 56-ball 63 against Punjab Kings in Chennai on Wednesday.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
While both Taylor and Latham were unable to see their side through to victory, Mitchell Santner, who scored just two from his first nine deliveries then scored another 43 from the next 18, won the game with his fourth six and finished on 45 not out.
Former all-rounder Tom Moody on Saturday picked India's Rohit Sharma and fellow Australian David Warner as best opening batsmen in T20 cricket.
Dale Steyn grabbed five wickets to lead South Africa to a convincing 204 run-victory over New Zealand in the second test at Centurion on Tuesday that sealed a 1-0 win in the series. Set an unlikely target of 400 to win the match, New Zealand were bowled out for 195 with a day to spare as South Africa kept in tact their record of never losing a series against the Kiwis.
GT are probably missing New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson, who they have traded to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Bairstow, who scored 138 in the fourth game in Dunedin, smashed a 58-ball century with eight boundaries and six sixes as he combined with Alex Hales (61) in a 155-run opening stand in perfect batting conditions.
Former international umpire Simon Taufel claimed that a 'clear mistake' was made by the umpires in the Sunday's ICC World Cup final, which saw England edge past New Zealand on boundaries after a tied Super Over.
One of the primary focus of Monday's encounter could be the inclusion of Indian cricket's latest enfant terrible Hardik Pandya, who is coming back from provisional suspension for his loose talk on a TV chat show.
Team India has two members - MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma - of that victorious 2009 side returning to New Zealand for the One-Day International series, which commences on Sunday. The hosts, however, are almost a completely overhauled unit. The teams may not appear equal on paper but the home advantage is something than should benefit New Zealand. Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical lowdown of the teams ahead of tour opener in Napier.
Images from the first One-Day International between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, on Wednesday.
Australia's former national selector Mark Waugh also picked the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand for their ability to perform well in all departments.
The superb build-up run has made India the clear favourites for an unprecedented second World Twenty20 title but the in-form hosts will have to guard against complacency when they take on a spirited New Zealand in their campaign-opener in Nagpur on Tuesday.
In the batsmen's rankings, Cheteshwar Pujara is the top-ranked Indian at the fourth position while opener Shikhar Dhawan climbed 21 places to be ranked 39th.
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