New Zealand eye comeback after conceding 5-match series with three straight defeats
Auckland: India will look to extend their dominance and hand opportunities to wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy when they take on New Zealand in the fourth T20 International here on Friday.
Already 3-0 up in the five-match series, India could rotate their bowling combination after a run of high-scoring contests. Kuldeep has not featured in New Zealand, while either he or Varun could come in if Axar Patel or the in-form Naman Dhir is rested.
Ishan Kishan’s availability remains uncertain after he missed two matches with an adductor strain. If he sits out again, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could continue alongside Abhishek Sharma, who smashed a 35-ball century in the previous match at Wellington.
India’s batting firepower has proved difficult to contain, with the visitors plundering a record 118 runs in the powerplay in Wellington. New Zealand, meanwhile, have suffered another setback with fast bowler Lockie Ferguson ruled out of the series due to a calf injury, having already missed the services of Matt Henry.
Captain Mitchell Santner has been among New Zealand’s more effective bowlers but has received limited support. The hosts will hope to improve their bowling performance at Eden Park, where a sell-out crowd of nearly 40,000 is expected to set a record attendance for a bilateral series match in the country.
India have won 20 of their 34 T20Is against New Zealand and nine of their last 10 T20Is in the country.
Match starts@12.30 PM
