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Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl in his first match as India’s ODI captain. India won the rain-affected first ODI in Auckland by five wickets and the second in Wellington by four runs. Meanwhile, India may have a new captain, but their success at the toss has continued. He took over from Shubman Gill, who has left the squad along with several other players to join India’s Test team ahead of the first match against New Zealand, starting next Thursday.
Friday’s match is also expected to avoid the rain interruptions that affected the earlier games. The third match, also scheduled in Wellington on Tuesday, was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
India lead the five-match series 2-0 and are in a position to become the first touring team in seven years to win an ODI series in New Zealand. New Zealand made several changes to their team due to injuries and players joining their Test squad. Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft and Finn Allen strengthened the batting line-up, while Kristian Clark and Matt Henry came into the pace attack.