Having already secured the series with an unassailable 3-0, India will look to experiment with the team combination when they take on New Zealand in the fourth T20I on Friday at the Eden park in Auckland. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy could be considered for selection after receiving limited opportunities in recent months.
India have largely relied on a batting-heavy combination, with batting options extending to number eight, an approach that has helped them dominate the high-scoring series. However, the team management now has room to explore a different balance. Meanwhile, the status of isn’t clear after the wicketkeeper-batter missed two games due to injury.
The toss could again prove significant, with New Zealand captain still waiting for his first toss win in the series. Bowling first has appeared to be the preferred option in the prevailing conditions. New Zealand will also need to adjust their bowling plans after Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson were ruled out of the series due to calf injuries.
For New Zealand, India’s aggressive top order has been a major challenge. , Abhishek Sharma and have all produced attacking spells, putting the hosts’ bowlers under sustained pressure. India’s batting firepower was on full display in Wellington, where they smashed a record 118 runs in the first six overs.
India enjoy a 20-11 head-to-head record against New Zealand in T20Is out of the 34 games played between the two nations. Three games ended in ties. On New Zealand soil, India extended their domination to 8-4 advantage over the hosts.
Sony Sports Network has the broadcast rights of the India vs New Zealand T20Is series for Indian audiences. The India vs New Zealand 4th T20I will be telecast live on Sony Sports channels in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada and new Tamil entertainment channel Sony VIZHA. Live streaming of India vs New Zealand 4th T20I will be available on SonyLIV.
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh/Mayank Yadav
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher
