After a damaging series defeat in the 50-over leg, India have done well to already win the five-match T20I series against New Zealand by winning the first three matches. Each of the wins have been via comprehensive margins. The Men in Blue, who go into the upcoming T20 World Cup as the defending champions, will aim to carry forward the momentum by performing as they have been in the ongoing fourth T20I at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium on Wednesday, January 28.
Toss Update
The Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav had the coin flip in his favour and had no hesitation in opting to take the field first in Visakhapatnam. Like in the previous match, he mentioned the dew factor as the major factor behind his decision to opt to field first. Suryakumar also provided a crucial update on T20I vice-captain Axar Patel and his potential presence in the fifth T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner, on the other hand, emphasised how crucial it will be to give a better fight against the formidable lineup boasted by the hosts. He also stressed wanting to improve on the bowling front. Santner announced one change in the form of Zak Foulkes making his way in over tall pacer Kyle Jamieson.
Why did Ishan Kishan miss out on playing in IND vs NZ 4th T20I?
Kishan, who made his national comeback in this series after last playing in November 2023, was out with a niggle. As per Suryakumar, Kishan had picked up the injury in the previous T20I. The left-handed batter redeemed himself after a single-digit score in the series opener to claim the Player of the Match award in the second T20I, courtesy of a blistering 76 off 32. He looked explosive during his short stay in the third match as well. India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is, Arshdeep Singh, was brought in in the place of Kishan.
IND vs NZ: What did the captains say?
Suryakumar Yadav, India captain
We’re going to bowl first. It looks like a good wicket, and we’ll get a chance to practise here later. There was a lot of dew last night and today it’s a little humid as well, so we feel that in the second innings the ball will come onto the bat nicely. I think the important thing is to repeat the good habits we’ve built over the past year, not just in this series. We want to keep doing the good things we’ve been doing, learn from the last game, and go out there, enjoy ourselves, play the format the way it’s meant to be played, and entertain the people who’ve come here. It’s a beautiful ground and a lovely crowd here. Hopefully, the boys are charged up and we have a good, entertaining night. Arshdeep comes in for Ishan Kishan, who picked up a niggle in the last game. Axar Patel still needs a bit more time, so hopefully we’ll see him in the next game. The batters will need to take a bit more responsibility, but at the same time not shy away from playing with fearless intent. We’ve got five good bowling options today, so we’ll see how it goes.
Mitchell Santner, New Zealand captain
It looks like a good wicket again. The dew has already kind of set in, so it might be a bit harder later on. The runs and scores are definitely evolving. We know the quality of this Indian side, and we’ve seen that in the first three games. We need to be better with the ball. First up, though, it looks like a good wicket, so we’ll try to set a strong total tonight. Most of the guys are already here playing this series. Lockie is still out, and Finn (Allen) is on his way, so we’ve got a couple of additions still to come. But the roles are pretty clear, and we’ll probably get similar wickets in the World Cup. One change – Foulkes comes in for Jamieson. Lockie and Finn are still a little way off, but it’s good to have them coming back.
Playing XIs
India
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
New Zealand
Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
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