Mohali: Stunned by an improved New Zealand the other night, a wary India would like to quickly get back to form when they square off with Kane Williamson's boys in the third ODI at Mohali on Sunday.
From a New Zealand point of view, a victory was all that they needed after a string of deflating defeats. As a result of their first win on Indian soil in 13 years, one can expect a certain spring in the steps of the visitors when they take the field at the PCA Stadium here.
India, on the other hand, can only blame themselves for suffering a rude shock after failing to chase down a 243-run target, a total they were expected to overhaul with little difficulty.
As captain MS Dhoni put it, the hosts would have won the game had some of their batsmen had made an extra 10-15 run instead of getting out at crucial junctures.
Ajinkya Rahane, who has got the opportunity to cement his place in the ODI side in the absence of injured Shikhar Dhawan, squandered starts in both the games while opening alongside Rohit Sharma, who would also be keen to be back among the runs after a couple of failures.
Rohit had hurt his biceps during the last game but there hasn't yet been any news about the extent or seriousness of the injury.
Number four Manish Pandey also needs to make an impact after he too could not capitalise on promising starts. In fact, most batsmen got their eye in at Kotla before throwing their wicket away, hurting India's chances badly.
One of them was number six Kedar Jadhav, who impressed with his 41-run cameo and shared a 66-run fifth wicket stand with Dhoni. Had he been alongside Dhoni for another three-four overs, the outcome of the game could have been different.
Jadhav may get another game on Sunday as there is still no update on Suresh Raina's health.
With most batsmen not showing the required maturity to bail the team out of a tricky situation, it would be a tad unfair to only point fingers at Dhoni, who was made to work hard for his 39 before falling to a brilliant return catch by Tim Southee.
Fans would be hoping for another 'Dhoni' special in the games to come, considering the team plays only a few limited overs matches during this home season.
Hardik Pandya's exhilarating performance in the previous game has ensured his spot in the team. He almost took India to a victory in the previous match and would like to carry on his good form.
The away side would, on the other hand, have to ensure there is no batting collapse like it happened in Delhi. New Zealand had ended with a below-par score after losing their way from 158 for two in the 30th over to end up with 242.
They would also be hoping opener Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor return to form after a prolonged lean patch.
