Is Bhuvneshwar Kumar playing 5th T20I between India and New Zealand?

While Bhuvneshwar Kumar had missed the fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match tour, fans were wondering whether the veteran pacer had been dropped from the team owing to poor form or if he had a niggle that forced him to warm the bench. As the fifth T20I between New Zealand (NZ) and India (IND) on Sunday, November 01, got underway at Seddon Park in Hamilton, there was a public curiosity regarding the medium pacer’s inclusion.

NZ vs IND: Toss Update

The toss went in favour of the hosts as their skipper Mitchell Santner made his intentions clear to bowl first and challenge the Indian batters to put up a total on the board. Meanwhile, India’s Shreyas Iyer said that the Men in Blue would have chosen to bat first anyway since they had batted second throughout the four matches of the series. 

NZ vs IND: Is Bhuvi back?

At the toss, the BlackCaps skipper confirmed one change to their playing XI from the Auckland encounter, with Matthew Fisher making way for Blair Tickner. The Indian team, on the contrary, announced a couple of changes to their playing XI for the fifth and final encounter. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back for the game, with Varun Chakravarthy also getting an opportunity to showcase his skills. Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel have been given a rest.

NZ vs IND: Playing XIs

Tim Seifert (WK), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner

India

Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy

NZ vs IND: What did the captains say?

Mitchell Santner, New Zealand captain, said:

“[On opting to bowl first] I just assumed I was going to lose the toss. We’ll have a bowl. Yeah, I think obviously a new pitch – looks all right. Usually plays pretty well here. Might be a little bit of dew later on, I think. [On the challenge of playing at Seddon Park’s relatively small dimensions] Yeah, I mean, it’s a challenge, obviously, the small grounds in New Zealand. You have to adapt quickly. You got to be, I guess, smart with the way you operate.

“I guess the dimensions change kind of, you know, around the country. So traditionally here they might, you know, if there’s a little bit of bounce, like Eden Park, it’d be quite nice. I guess the plans are similar. And if it’s flat we’re going to have to adapt. 

“[On New Zealand’s comeback in the series and their plans for the final T20I] Yeah, I think obviously with the bat we’ve been good this whole series. And then with the ball, we just adjusted our plans a little bit. There was obviously a little bit more on the wicket the other night, which was nice for the seamers. So I guess if it’s something similar again, it usually can get a bit of bounce here at Seddon Park, hopefully. [On the team changes] We got one change. Tickner’s back and Matt Fisher misses out.”

Shreyas Iyer, India captain, said:

“[On batting first in the final T20I] Yeah, I mean it’s a great occasion to come here, especially in this historical ground. And we were looking to bat as well. Absolutely, we wanted to test ourselves batting first, you know, all the four games we chased. So want to have a feel of how the wicket will play in the first innings.

“[On India’s plans after the defeat in Auckland] In Auckland the dimensions were different. Bowlers had a little bit of different plans against certain batsmen. But also credit where it’s due. Phillips, he played exceptional knock. But it’s important that we go by instincts and see to it that we bowl according to the plan and also what the wicket requires.

“[On the team changes and Varun’s opportunity] We’ve got two changes. Varun comes in and Bhuvi comes in. Yes, absolutely. He’s been waiting for his opportunity and today I feel that even in the huddle, he gave us a beautiful speech. So he’s pumped up and he’s looking forward for this contest.”