5th T20I: India meet NZ in dead rubber in Thiruvananthapuram
What's the story
India and New Zealand are all set to clash in the fifth and final T20I of the series at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on January 31 The home team has already won the series with a scoreline of 3-1. Suryakumar Yadav's men dominated in the first three matches but faltered in the fourth, losing by 50 runs. Here is the preview of the final affair.
Match preview
New Zealand aim to build on last match's momentum
New Zealand finally showed some resilience in the last match, where they scored 215/7 and later defended it. They will be looking to build on this momentum and gain some much-needed confidence before heading into the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. Though the Indian side should not worry much after just one loss, they would not want to suffer another defeat.
Statistics
A look at the pitch report
The pitch at Greenfield International Stadium is well-balanced but tends to slow down as the match progresses. A big first-innings total, ideally above 220, would be key to winning here. The Greenfield International Stadium has hosted four men's T20Is so far, with India losing just once, making it a favorable venue for the hosts. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (7:00pm IST).
H2H
Here is the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, India are ahead of New Zealand in terms of head-to-head record. The two sides have clashed in 29 T20Is, with India winning 17 of them. This includes a couple of Super-Over wins. NZ have won 11, while one resulted in a tie. The Black Caps have so far met India 15 times in T20Is on Indian soil. While the hosts emerged winners 10 times, NZ clinched the other five matches.
Team composition
A look at the probable XIs
India (Probable XI): 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 (Probable XI): Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
Performers
Key players to watch out for
In the third T20I, Abhishek created history by scoring the second-fastest half-century for India in T20Is, off 14 balls. Suryakumar Yadav has found his mojo back as his 179 runs in this series have come at a strike rate of 192.47. Tim Seifert's 62-run knock in the previous game was laced with seven fours and three sixes. New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner bowled a solid spell in the fourth T20I - 3/26 from 4 overs.
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