New Zealand vs India, 5th T20I, Mount Maunganui: Preview, likely XIs, prediction

India lead the series 4-0 at the moment, and have an opportunity to sweep New Zealand in the five-match series when they clash in Mount Maunganui on Sunday, February 2.

However, despite what that scoreline suggests, it’s not been as one-sided as all that. India’s lead is comprised of two victories that came via Super Overs. Out of four matches in the series so far, two went right down to the wire, with India coming out on top each time. But that isn’t to say New Zealand have been outclassed.

Far from it. The New Zealand bowlers did well to restrict most of the Indian batsmen in the fourth T20I, although India did name a side devoid of Rohit Sharma, with Sanju Samson coming in his place. However, such is the strength of this Indian side that, the runs do come, one way or the other. It was Manish Pandey’s turn on Friday, and his 36-ball 50* helped the side to a decent total.

Again, the New Zealand batsmen impressed as well, with both Colin Munro and Tim Seifert scoring quickfire half-centuries to keep the chase going. There was no Kane Williamson in the XI, with Tim Southee taking the captaincy reins, but New Zealand looked well on course for the chase before a middle order collapse meant they tied the scores. A second consecutive Super Over then went India’s way, but take nothing away from New Zealand.

The home side, in fact, will be determined to win this final match. The series scoreline, while fair in terms of results, hasn’t painted the right picture of New Zealand this series, and they will be hoping to change that, to some degree, come Sunday.

How they go about it should make for interesting viewing.

Head to head

There have been 15 meetings between these sides in T20Is so far. India have, technically, won five and lost eight. However, this calculates the Super Over results as ties, and on those terms, there have been two ties in all.

Key players

KL Rahul (India): Rahul has become the undisputed star of this Indian side. He once again made important contributions both with the bat and behind the stumps during the latest outing, including in the Super Over, and this series has been his making. He will look to finish it in style.

Tim Southee (New Zealand): Southee has a bit of a reputation growing as a not-too-effective bowler in the limited-overs formats, and his performance in the two Super Overs so far haven’t really made for much of a spectacle. He will have to improve his performances sooner rather than later, or he’ll start facing questions about his place in the side.

Likely XIs

India: KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggelejin, Tim Southee (c), Ish Sodhi, Hamish Bennett

Prediction

India to complete the sweep.