After almost a month of being forced off the field due to his controversial comments on TV show ‘Koffee With Karan’, Hardik Pandya was named in India’s XI in New Zealand on Monday, 28 January.
The all-rounder replaced counterpart Vijay Shankar in the team for the third ODI at Bay Oval.
The other change in the Indian team was MS Dhoni being forced to sit out due to an injured hamstring. Dinesh Karthik came in place of him.
The home team brought in Mitchell Santner in place of Colin de Grandhomme.
Earlier on 24 January, the suspensions on Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were lifted by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), two weeks after they were sent home from the tour of Australia due to their sexist comments on a TV show.
There’s still a inquiry pending in the matter, for which an ombudsman is to be appointed by the Supreme Court. The apex court has listed the matter tentatively for 5 February.
India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI: Playing XI
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Henry Nicholls, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.
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