India seeks perfect score in final T20 series match
Sold out crowd at Eden Park watches as India aims to complete a sweep after winning the first three games.
By Justin Brooks ·
India won the toss for the fourth straight match Friday, giving captain Shreyas Iyer the choice to bowl first in the fourth Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Eden Park. The team selected this strategy in the previous three contests, a decision that has directly contributed to their dominant start to the series.
The scoreboard reflects India's control over the competition. They have won the first three matches by four wickets, four wickets, and six wickets respectively. This performance places them at a 3-0 lead in the five-match schedule, meaning New Zealand cannot prevent India from taking the series title regardless of the remaining two results.
Despite the series being mathematically decided, the atmosphere at Eden Park remains intense with a sold-out crowd. Coach Gautam Gambhir has instructed the squad to treat the final two games as a standalone event rather than a formality. Iyer echoed this sentiment, stating the team intends to be ruthless regardless of the current standings.
New Zealand enters the game looking to rebound from a heavy defeat in Wellington on Tuesday. In that match, India opener Abishek Sharma scored a century off just 35 balls, exposing significant gaps in the Black Caps' bowling attack. The team hopes for a stronger performance to restore some momentum before the final contest.
Both sides made adjustments to their starting lineups for this encounter. India recalled Ishan Kishan and Mayank Yadav, replacing Vaibhav Sooryanvanshi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Sooryanvanshi had previously shared a 133-run opening partnership with Sharma. New Zealand made a single change, selecting Nathan Smith in place of Kyle Jamieson.
The full India lineup features Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, and Prince Yadav. New Zealand fields Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, and Matt Fisher.
Source: WRAZ
