4th T20I: India, New Zealand meet at Auckland's Eden Park
What's the story
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Auckland's Eden Park on Friday. The game will be a chance for the Indian team to rest some of their key players ahead of the ODI and Test series that follow the T20Is. India have already sealed the 5-match series, having won the first three matches convincingly. Shreyas Iyer's men will now seek a 4th successive win.
Team struggles
New Zealand's bowling woes deepen
New Zealand's bowling unit is already struggling with the absence of senior pacer Lockie Ferguson, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to injury.
The Black Caps will also miss Matt Henry and Zak Foulkes, both injured.
Matt Fisher has been named in the squad.
Mitchell Santner has been their best performer. He owns 7 scalps from three matches.
Team strength
Dimensions of Eden Park will test India's bowlers
Despite the potential changes, India's batting lineup could still remain a force to be reckoned with.
The dimensions at Eden Park are different from those at Hnry Stadium: straight boundaries are smaller while square boundaries are bigger.
This will require bowlers to make quick tactical adjustments and could also affect field placements due to the rectangular shape of the playing area.
Player focus
Players on both sides
Auckland's Bevon Jacobs, who has played cricket across the globe, could make his first international innings at his home ground on Friday.
Meanwhile, India's Naman Dhir has made a smooth transition from IPL and domestic cricket to international white-ball cricket.
His big-hitting has strengthened India's middle order in Hardik Pandya's absence.
Team adjustments
Will India field a spinner?
With the series already in their favor, India might consider changing their combination and giving Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy a game.
This could leave their lower-order batting thin but could also see Shivam Dube getting a game if Nitish Kumar Reddy is rested ahead of the ODI and Test series.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Ishan Kishan has recovered from his groin strain that kept him out of the second and third T20Is.
Match conditions
Another high-scoring affair on the cards
The straight boundaries at Eden Park are so small that they don't meet ICC requirements. However, as an existing venue prior to those requirements being introduced, it is exempt, as per Cricinfo.
This could lead to another high-scoring match at this venue.
The weather is expected to be clear throughout the game, making for ideal playing conditions.
Information
A look at the H2H record between NZ and India
New Zealand have met 34 times in the 20-over format. India own 20 wins compared to New Zealand's 11. 3 games have been tied with two wins coming from there via Super Over and one remained a tie.
Players
Player focus: Here are the stats
In 70 matches, India's Abhishek Sharma owns 2,240 runs at 33.43. He has four hundreds and 14 fifties (SR: 196.83).
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has scored 295 runs from 10 matches at 29.5 (50s: 2). His strike rate is 185.53.
For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips is nearing the 2,500-run mark (2,455). He averages 33.17.
Santner owns 149 wickets and is one shy of 150. He could become the 3rd New Zealand bowler with 150-plus wickets.
Probable XIs
NZ vs IND: Probable XIs
India probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy/Shivam Dube, Axar Patel/Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh/Mayank Yadav.
NZ probable XI: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Blair Tickner/Nathan Smith.
Poll
