India will be looking to extend their dominance in the five-match T20I series when they take on New Zealand in the fourth match to be played in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. The Men in Blue have handed the Blackcaps crushing defeats by 48 ruins, 7 wickets and 8 wickets in the first three games.
The Indian fans are bubbling with joy after seeing the likes of Abhisek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav hammer the New Zealand bowlers. Abhishek has played two scintillating knocks (84 off 35 balls in 1st match and an unbeaten 68 off 20 balls in the 3rd match). Kishan thrilled the crowds with his innings of 76 in 32 balls in the second match while Surya bounced back to form with an entertaining innings of 57 not out of 26 deliveries in third match. In the same match Jasprit Bumrah demolished the New Zealand batting order with a brilliant spell of 3/17 to win the Player of the Match award.
The first three games have shown why India is the no.1 ranked team in the T20Is and are the hot favourites to win the T20 World Cup in a few weeks’ time.
While there have been so many positives for the team, Sanju Samson’s returns with the bat is surely concerning. The wicketkeeper-batter has been dismissed on the scores of 10, 6 and 0 in the first three games. The 32-year-old is now under serious pressure to perform. In the next two games of the series he will have to convince the selectors that he is the right man to be the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. Any more failure and that role will be given to Kishan and Samson could get relegated to the benches. Samson knows that the moment Tilak Varma is declared fit, he is at the risk of losing his spot from the squad altogether.
India has out-batted and out-bowled New Zealand in the series and there has been hardly any New Zealand player who has stood out. Glenn Phillips’ 78 in 40 deliveries in the series opener has been the only performance of some substance from a New Zealand player thus far. New Zealand will be worried about the dwindling returns of Devon Conway. The 34-year-old has gotten out on the scores of 0, 19 and 1.
With the fate of the series already sealed, captain Mitchell Santner might give the players stuck on the benches a chance to perform.
Pitch:
Expect a high-scoring game as the pitch in Visakhapatnam supports the batters.
India vs New Zealand Possible Playing 11
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (capt), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi.
India vs New Zealand Head To Head (Last 5 Games)
India have beaten New Zealand in each of the last 5 games they have played against New Zealand.
Form Guide (Last 5 matches)
India: W-W-W-W-W
New Zealand: L-L-L-W-W
Match Time And LIVE stream details
The match gets underway at 7.30 pm IST. It will be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and broadcast on the Star Sports channel.
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