Saturday was satisfactory for India. They battled it out under challenging circumstances and lost only three wickets after being invited to bat first by Kane Williamson in the grand finale of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). After 64.4 overs, when play was called off for the day due to bad light, the Indians were 146/3 with Virat Kohli (44*) and Ajinkya Rahane (29*) at the crease.
Sunday is likely to be important. After the opening day was washed out due to rain, this Test match will now have a sixth day. However, weather forecast for the rest of the game is not very encouraging. Hence, the first innings of both the teams will more or less be decisive.
Under these circumstances, if India can bat around 120 overs and score 320-350, they may well end New Zealand’s chances of winning this game. On the other hand, if New Zealand can bowl India out within 220 or so and take a lead of around 100, they can put Virat Kohli & co. under immense pressure.
Hence, the first few sessions of Day 3 are going to be crucial from the point of view of both sides. With the second new ball due in 15.2 overs, the New Zealand seamers will come out will all guns blazing.
India, on the other hand, will go with a survive-first strategy. So, even the ball is 65 overs old, we are unlikely to see both Kohli and Rahane forcing the pace and trying to score quickly. They will prefer to be out there when the second new ball is taken. They understand that any lapse in concentration can open the floodgates for New Zealand and all the hard work of Day 2 will be undone.
As per BBC Weather, the chance of morning showers in Southampton is less than 10 percent on Sunday. However, the sky will be cloudy and gloomy. So, just like Day 2, when bad light halted cricket thrice, visibility may be an issue. The temperature will be around 17-18 degrees throughout the playing hours and humidity around 70 percent.