Rohit Sharma doing all the talking in the team huddle.

Wankhede facts: Since Wankhede's inaugural Test in 1974/75, the series defeat to NZ was India's tenth at home. Wankhede hosted a test in nine of those series. (the only exception being the 0-1 loss to Pakistan in 1986/87). Before the third Test against NZ, India featured in a dead rubber at home with them trailing in the series only once in the last 40 years - against Australia in 2004/05. Wankhede was the venue for that Test also.

UPDATE: Mr Jasprit Bumrah has not fully recovered from his viral illness. He was unavailable for selection for the third Test in Mumbai.

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

Rohit Sharma: We understand that we haven't played well in this series. Looks like a good pitch. Hopefully we can restrict them as quickly as possible. Our focus is on this Test match. Bumrah is not well, Siraj comes in for him.

New Zealand have won the toss and have opted to bat

Tom Latham: We are gonna have a bat.

New Zealand have won the toss and have opted to bat

"Akash Deep and Siraj have marked their run-ups. Looks like there’s no Bumrah today,"

Pitch Report | Murali Kartik and Dinesh Karthik: If you look at this pitch, there's a little bit of moisture in it and hence the dark brownish colour. As you look at the other pitches in the square, you can see the difference in colour, it's slightly orangish. That's how this pitch will eventually become. It's about understanding what happens when moisture is there. There'll be a little bit of turn at the start and as the day progresses, it might get slightly better to bat on. But towards the end of the day's play and definitely tomorrow and as the game progresses, there'll be a lot more turn. If the team winning the toss, doesn't bat first, I'd be very surprised. In the last five Test matches, 84% of the wickets have been picked up by the spinners. There'll be a little bit of help for the fast bowlers as it always is in Mumbai. There is something in it for everybody. As the game progresses, it'll tilt towards the spinners. Days one and two will be better to bat on. As the game progresses, it's going to be hard work for the batters.

Their spectacular streak - 18 consecutive bilateral home series wins - has come to an end but India are still at the top of the WTC points table.

08:30 Local Time, 03:00 GMT, 08:30 IST: New Zealand defied all odds to clinch a historic Test series win. No Kane Williamson, new captain after losing the recently-concluded Test series in Sri Lanka (0-2), up against an in-form team, not many backed them to fare well. But the Kiwis have spectacularly won back-to-back Tests in contrasting conditions to register their first-ever Test series win in India. And, there's still one more match remaining. They now have a chance to whitewash India in India, a feat that no team has achieved since 2000. Can they pull another rabbit out of their hat? Hello everyone and a warm welcome to the third and the final Test between India and New Zealand. Wankhede is the battleground...

Preview by Ganesh Chandrasekaran

The last time India entered a Test of a home series having already lost the series was in Wankhede, twenty years ago. There they had prepared a raging turner to win a low-scoring thriller against Australia. Indications are that the pitch for this one against New Zealand too could start to take turn sooner rather than later. While the Test may not have context within the series, the World Test Championship brings that in. India would need to win four out of their six remaining Tests (including five in Australia) to be assured of a spot in the final, without having to depend on other results.

That would be easier said than done, for the batting group is battling for form as well as ironing out technical deficiencies midway through the series. This has, in turn, added to the pressure on India's premier spinners who have come up short so far. It's an unfamiliar position for a team that has for long made it a habit of winning Tests at home, seemingly, without breaking much sweat. And even if they were made to sweat, they've found ways to bounce back in the series through various individuals.

But New Zealand have not only brought about an end of the streak, but have made India think and work on what was previously considered as an armour of invincibility. Now, their batters are being made to work on their defence more against opposition spinners that have upped their game. Their slower bowlers too have to face a diverse group of players against spin. Some that use their feet, some who rely more on the sweep and mostly all amongst the runs and thereby with some confidence of having done it successfully.

The team is also a mix of players that are closer to the end of their careers and a few just starting off. So the challenges for each group would be different. In the midst of all this is the challenge of heading into Australia with a win behind them. In many ways then, there are lingering questions that would be closely watched as this Indian team gets into a territory unknown.

When: November 1, 2024 at 09:30 AM IST

Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: Conditions are hot and humid, as always in Mumbai. The pitch is expected to be on the drier side, and play as traditional red-soil pitches do. It underwent some brushing all through a day before the game as well. So expect some turn and bounce for the spinners.

Teams

India: Head coach Gautaam Gambhir has said that there are no fitness issues, no additions to the squad and that in the context of WTC there's no chance of resting players. With a fully available squad, there could still be a toss-up for the second seamer's position between Akash Deep and Mohammad Siraj. Even though they lost the Test at Pune, India are not expected to make any widespread changes to their eleven.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep/Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Matt Henry has played a part in the practice sessions in Mumbai after missing out in Pune. If he's able to make a comeback, it could leave senior pro Tim Southee in a spot.

Probable XI: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee/Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel

Did you know?

- If India lose the Wankhede Test then it will be the first time since 2000 that they were clean swept by an opposition in a home Test series.

- Rohit Sharma has been dismissed four times in eight innings in Tests and averages only 12.75 against the New Zealand pacer.

What they said?

"Obviously, it's hurting. And it's good that it's hurting. Because it should hurt. Because every time you lose a game, be it at home or be it away from home, it should hurt. And that hurt will make us better. Sometimes people say that it should not hurt. But it should hurt when you're playing for your country. What's wrong in being in that position? And the more, especially for the youngsters, it's hurting them, I'm sure they're going to push themselves to keep getting better. Because that is exactly what we want them to be. Pushing themselves every day to be a better cricketer. And to do something special. Because if we have results like what we had in Kanpur, then we might as well have results like this. And take that hurt and keep moving forward" - Gautam Gambhir, India head coach

Squads:

India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul

New Zealand Squad: Tom Latham(c), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William ORourke, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Mark Chapman