New Zealand tour of India 2026 | India vs New Zealand Match Prediction | 5th T20I- Who Will Win IND vs NZ match?

India vs New Zealand – 5th T20I

The 5th T20I of the New Zealand tour of India 2026 will see India take on New Zealand on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM local time (1:30 PM GMT).

India enter this series finale with a powerful and experienced squad. Their batting lineup is led by Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, providing a solid top order and explosive middle-order firepower. Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel add depth and aggression.

In the bowling department, India boast a strong and varied attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, offering both pace and spin options perfectly suited to the conditions.

New Zealand come into this high-stakes match with a well-balanced unit. Their batting unit includes Bevon Jacobs, Devon Conway (wk), Tim Seifert, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Finn Allen, capable of building strong partnerships and accelerating in the middle overs.

New Zealand’s bowling attack is led by Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, providing a good mix of pace and spin to challenge any batting lineup.

The Greenfield International Stadium pitch in Thiruvananthapuram typically offers good bounce and carry early on, assisting pacers initially, but it can slow down and assist spinners as the match progresses under lights. Batters can play freely once set, and a first-innings total of around 170–185 is generally considered competitive at this venue in T20Is.

Expert Prediction: In this crucial series finale, India hold a slight edge with their explosive batting depth, world-class pace attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, and strong home advantage at Thiruvananthapuram. India have 62% chance and New Zealand have 38% winning chance.

Disclaimer: This video expresses the author’s personal insights and analysis. We encourage readers to consider the points discussed and draw their own conclusions.

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