New Zealand vs India, 5th T20I: Match preview and stats
What's the story
India's T20I team, which has been on a hectic schedule, will finally get a breather after the fifth match in Hamilton. The players will return home for some much-needed rest before gearing up for a home series against Sri Lanka in late December. However, some players like Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh will head straight into an ODI series starting Wednesday in Auckland. Ahead of the final encounter of the series, here's the preview.
Match insights
India have been on a roll in New Zealand
Despite a hectic schedule, India's T20I team has performed well in New Zealand.
They overcame jetlag and cold to win in Christchurch, and adapted to unusual dimensions for success in Wellington.
The only hiccup was an unexpected defeat due to Auckland's strange dimensions.
Winning all four tosses so far also helped India's cause.
Team strategy
Can India test their bench strength?
Having already won the series, the fifth T20I presents India with an opportunity to test their bench strength.
Shivam Dube could replace Nitish Kumar Reddy in the lead-up to a two-match Test series.
Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are yet to play, but including either would compromise batting depth, which Axar provides.
New Zealand will be looking to improve their poor head-to-head record against India this year (eight defeats in 10 T20Is).
Team updates
Seifert and Ishan Kishan have struggled
Tim Seifert has struggled with just 36 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 105.88 this series.
Ishan Kishan also had a low-key tour, managing just one run in the series opener before missing two games due to injury.
India may rest Arshdeep Singh for the ODI series starting November 4, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar likely to return to the T20I XI.
Match conditions
Venue, pitch report, and conditions
Seddon Park in Hamilton is a high-scoring venue, with eight of the 15 T20Is played there having first-innings scores of 180 or more, as per Cricinfo.
The temperature will be mild at the start and chilly by the end.
Ahead of this match, Glenn Phillips said, "It's our first time being up in that 250 range... So who knows, maybe that's something we can take in."
Information
NZ vs IND: H2H record
New Zealand and India have met 35 times in the 20-over format. India own 20 wins compared to New Zealand's 12. Meanwhile, 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 2,267 runs at 33.33. He has four hundreds and 14 fifties (SR: 196.61).
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 has amassed 2,565 runs from 101 games (89 innings). He averages 34.16 (100s: 3, 50s: 14).
Mitchell Santner owns 151 wickets and during the 4th clash of the series, he became the 3rd New Zealand bowler with 150-plus wickets.
Probable XIs
Probable XIs: NZ vs IND
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
