Hamilton, Oct 31 (IANS) India will consider a few tactical tweaks to their playing eleven when they take on New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I at Seddon Park on Sunday, India lead 3-1 but were beaten by 87 runs in Auckland, a result that could rattle the think tank’s long-held line on the starting eleven, as they aim to sign off from the series with a win.
The most likely change could be Vaibhav Sooryavanshi coming in, with Sanju Samson making way. After making 67 in the series opener in Christchurch, Samson has made scores of 14, 18 and 4. Captain Shreyas Iyer, too, has had a lean run since hitting his maiden T20I hundred against the West Indies in Lucknow.
Iyer has so far managed scores of 40, 1, 16, 22, 42, 7, 5 and 22 in his last eight innings in the format. He will want a big score in the series before shifting focus to the ODI series. Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been valuable lower-order hitters, but are yet to shine with the ball.
Spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule did hint that wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy could come into the playing eleven in Hamilton if conditions demand the same. But that would mean leaving out Dhir, which in turn will cost them batting depth and some part-time off-spin.
For New Zealand, they will be relying on in-form Glenn Phillips to help them get a big score after hitting a majestic century in Auckland. According to CricViz, Phillips has 276 runs in four matches, more than any New Zealand batter in a five-match bilateral T20I series except Mark Chapman’s 290 runs against Pakistan in 2023.
The all-format record is with England wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt, who hit 331 against West Indies in 2023, and Phillips needs 56 more to go past him. Michael Bracewell, who smashed a fifty in Auckland, is in good form as well.
There’s also a sharp contrast between the two left-arm spinners, with skipper Mitchell Santner having a productive series. Axar Patel has bowled at an average speed of 97 kph against Mitchell Santner’s 89 kph.
Santner has been fuller 55 percent of the time and bowled shorter 45 percent, while Axar has gone shorter 72 percent of the time and fuller only 28 percent. With Hamilton being another small venue, the battle of left-arm spinners will be another crucial factor in deciding who between India and New Zealand will sign off on a high.
When: November 1, 2026, 12:30 PM
Where: Seddon Park, Hamilton
Where to watch: The match will be shown live on the Sony Sports Network channels on TV, and live streaming is available on the Sony LIV app and website.
Squads:
India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kumar Kushagra.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Devon Conway (wk), Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Bevon Jacobs, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher and Blair Tickner.
–IANS
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