Bhuvneshwar Kumar out as India opt to chase against New Zealand in 4th T20I; Ishan Kishan, Mayank Yadav return to playing XI

Auckland [New Zealand], October 30 (ANI): Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and has opted to chase against New Zealand in the fourth T20I in Auckland on Friday. 

India will look to extend their dominance over New Zealand and take a 4-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. New Zealand, meanwhile, will be eager to avoid another defeat after losing the first three matches. 

“We’re going to bowl. Just following the same pattern. The intent, the positivity was there from ball one. The execution was phenomenal. The wind is following us everywhere; it’s getting chillier. It’s important to be ruthless. The boys have been given the same message. Everyone is in high spirits. Expecting bounce and seam movement. Ishan Kishan comes in for Vaibhav and Mayank comes in for Bhuvi,” Iyer said during the toss. 

“Another fresh start today. It does bounce a bit more here. Looks like another good pitch. If you get a start, you can cash in. We’ve talked about plans. Batting group, we’ve done well. Today’s going to be tough to catch with the wind. They come really hard at us in the powerplay. Nathan Smith is back in for Kyle Jamieson,” New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said. 

India have won 10 of their last 11 meetings against New Zealand and are on a five-match winning streak against them. They have won nine of their last 10 T20Is in New Zealand, including two victories via Super Overs, while the remaining match ended in a tie.

This series victory also marks India’s third consecutive T20I series win in New Zealand, with the hosts’ last home T20I victory against India coming in Hamilton in 2019. India had also whitewashed New Zealand 5-0 in 2020.

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher.

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav. (ANI)