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One last stop before the big dance - New Zealand’s white-ball tour of India has traced a near-complete map of the country, moving from east to north, then west, and now finally settling in the south. The road ends in Thiruvananthapuram, or Trivandrum, where the fifth and final T20I waits by the coast. India may already have the series in the bag, but this game is far from a dead rubber. The Blackcaps snapped their losing streak in Vizag, dodged the whitewash, and now have a chance to walk away with a respectable 3-2 scoreline. This match also serves as the final dress rehearsal for both sides before the T20 World Cup 2026, now barely a week away. There is no room left for experiments that do not matter. For India, it is about fine-tuning combinations and rhythms and getting back to winning ways. For New Zealand, it is about carrying momentum into the tournament and proving that Vizag was not a one-off spark, but the beginning of their domination. Experimentation backfired? ‘I feel we purposely played six batters today. We wanted to have five perfect bowlers and wanted to challenge ourselves.’ Words from Suryakumar Yadav at the post-match presentation after getting defeated in Vizag’s batting paradise. With Ishan Kishan unavailable due to injury, India went in with an extra bowler, aiming for five full bowling options and a self-imposed challenge. On paper, it sounded bold. On the field, it unraveled quickly. India ended up conceding over 200 runs, with almost every bowler finding the fence far too often. The batting collapse only deepened the problem. The top order failed to provide a base, leaving the middle order under immense pressure, already operating one batter short. More than the loss itself, the game highlighted issues India need to address fast, with no time left to hide them. Samson’s place in jeopardy? It was a rare blip for Abhishek Sharma, who got out on a golden duck, but a golden opportunity was fluffed by Sanju Samson as the opener. He got the start, but yet again, couldn’t build on it. With just one half-century in his last ten innings and only 40 runs from four matches in this series, the returns have fallen well short of expectations. And with Ishan Kishan breathing down his neck for a spot as the opener, Samson walks into the final T20I, if picked, under serious pressure to finally deliver. India’s firepower backed by Dube’s brute force - ‘Spin basher’. In this Indian setup, the tag belongs squarely to Shivam Dube. With India effectively down and out in Vizag, he was the one who pushed back, tearing into the attack with a stunning 15-ball half-century. The innings didn’t change the result, but it changed the mood, lifting him to third on India’s list of fastest T20I fifties, behind only Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma, who reached the mark earlier in this very series. With Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek and Hardik, and to an extent, Rinku, all in fine nick, the batting looks sorted and settled. But on off days, like the previous T20I, who will be India’s rescuer is the biggest question.
New Zealand’s balance finally clicks - The fourth T20I finally showed New Zealand at full tilt and brought plenty of encouragement. Tim Seifert’s half-century set the tone, Devon Conway shook off a lean patch, and the middle order chipped in when it mattered. Glenn Phillips has been the standout, not only being a bulletproof at backward point, but also brutal hitting after a century in the ODIs and a 50 in the series opener, he’s emerged as New Zealand’s top scorer. With Daryl Mitchell being the constant run machine and Mitchell Santner providing late-order firepower, the Blackcaps have repeatedly pushed themselves to competitive totals. The Rachin Ravindra conundrum - There’s no cent of doubt about Rachin’s talent, but his T20I numbers speak otherwise, unfortunately. Sitting at exactly 600 runs in 42 matches, the average of 19.35, that too, at an important batting position of number 3, doesn’t compliment his strength and promise at all. His last ten innings underline the inconsistency. A highest score of just 44 and four single-digit scores, leaving fans and selectors alike waiting for him to fully translate promise into performance with the others waiting in the wings as well. Reinforcements boost Blackcaps’ firepower - James Neesham and ace pacer Lockie Ferguson had joined the squad before the fourth T20I, though Neesham was sidelined by a stomach bug and Ferguson was still nursing a calf injury. The Blackcaps, already World Cup-bound, get a fresh shot in the arm with Finn Allen coming in for the final T20I. The explosive opener was the leading run-scorer in Perth Scorchers’ title-winning campaign and will be eager to carry that form into this series and beyond, adding serious firepower to New Zealand’s batting lineup ahead of the big tournament.
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New Zealand’s balance finally clicks - The fourth T20I finally showed New Zealand at full tilt and brought plenty of encouragement. Tim Seifert’s half-century set the tone, Devon Conway shook off a lean patch, and the middle order chipped in when it mattered. Glenn Phillips has been the standout, not only being a bulletproof at backward point, but also brutal hitting after a century in the ODIs and a 50 in the series opener, he’s emerged as New Zealand’s top scorer. With Daryl Mitchell being the constant run machine and Mitchell Santner providing late-order firepower, the Blackcaps have repeatedly pushed themselves to competitive totals. The Rachin Ravindra conundrum - There’s no cent of doubt about Rachin’s talent, but his T20I numbers speak otherwise, unfortunately. Sitting at exactly 600 runs in 42 matches, the average of 19.35, that too, at an important batting position of number 3, doesn’t compliment his strength and promise at all. His last ten innings underline the inconsistency. A highest score of just 44 and four single-digit scores, leaving fans and selectors alike waiting for him to fully translate promise into performance with the others waiting in the wings as well. Reinforcements boost Blackcaps’ firepower - James Neesham and ace pacer Lockie Ferguson had joined the squad before the fourth T20I, though Neesham was sidelined by a stomach bug and Ferguson was still nursing a calf injury. The Blackcaps, already World Cup-bound, get a fresh shot in the arm with Finn Allen coming in for the final T20I. The explosive opener was the leading run-scorer in Perth Scorchers’ title-winning campaign and will be eager to carry that form into this series and beyond, adding serious firepower to New Zealand’s batting lineup ahead of the big tournament.
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All posters please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staffs etc.
2. No making fun of player's, official's, coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
