India's captain Rohit Sharma (2L) throws a ball as Kuldeep Yadav (L), Ravindra Jadeja (2R) and KL Rahul watch during a practice session ahead of their third Test cricket match against New Zealand at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. — AFP

India will aim to prevent a rare home series whitewash when they face New Zealand in the third and final test of the series in Mumbai starting Friday. Head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized that his team must rise to the occasion. New Zealand dominated the hosts with pace, securing an eight-wicket victory in Bengaluru, their first test win in India in 36 years. They sealed the series in Pune with a 113-run win, thanks to the spinners. This marked New Zealand's first series win in India since 1955, ending India's proud home streak of 18 consecutive series victories since their 2-1 defeat by England 12 years ago. The last time India suffered a home series whitewash was in 2000, when they lost 2-0 to South Africa. Gambhir highlighted the need for his batsmen to adapt before next month's tour of Australia, where they will play five tests.

"We should be able to adapt. We should be a side that can score 400 in a day if needed and also bat for two days. That's what growth and test cricket are about," Gambhir told reporters on Thursday. "Test cricket can't be played in a single manner; it's about adaptability, assessing the situation, and playing accordingly. More importantly, it's about playing sessions." If we can learn to play sessions, with the quality in our batting lineup, I think if we play 4-1/2 sessions, we'll score a lot of runs." Mitchell Santner's 13-wicket haul in Pune exposed India's weaknesses against spin bowling.

"Sometimes you have to acknowledge the opposition. Mitchell Santner was outstanding in the last game. We'll keep working hard and improving. The players are putting in the hard yards in the nets," Gambhir added. India's vice captain Jasprit Bumrah (L), Mohammed Siraj (C) and Akash Deep attend a practice session ahead of their third Test cricket match against New Zealand at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. — AFP

"Ultimately, it's the results that matter in international cricket, but I don't think our skills against spin have declined. It's about working hard and getting better." New Zealand skipper Tom Latham expressed excitement about the opportunity for a sweep.

"We've done a lot of good things over the last couple of weeks, but for us, every test match is about focusing on winning key moments, not necessarily the result," Latham said. "That's the outcome of putting together consecutive good sessions. This is a different pitch and different conditions."

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