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Big picture: Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan?
When India’s squad for the T20 World Cup was announced, Ishan Kishan was supposed to be a back-up for Sanju Samson. He had last played a T20I in 2023 and was picked only because the selectors decided to change the team combination at the last moment.
A lot has changed since then. Tilak Varma’s freak injury gave Kishan a chance to bat at No. 3 against New Zealand and he grabbed it, smashing 76 off 32 balls in the second T20I and 28 off 13 in the third. With Samson scoring 10, 6 and 0 in the first three T20Is, the debate has begun: should Kishan replace Samson in the XI when Tilak returns?
If Tilak’s injury opened a door for Kishan, the delay in his recovery has handed Samson a lifeline. Having returned to the opening slot after preparing for a middle-order role in between, he will likely have two more chances to present his case.
New Zealand have lost the series but they have been without many of their first-choice players. James Neesham and Lockie Ferguson have now joined the team and Tim Robinson and Kristian Clarke, who are not part of the World Cup squad, have been released. Finn Allen, though, will arrive only before the final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.
India WWWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
New Zealand LLLWW
In the spotlight: Abhishek Sharma and Lockie Ferguson
Abhishek Sharma is redefining the limits of T20 batting.
Since the start of 2025, he has scored 1011 runs in T20Is at an average of 45.95 and a strike rate of 202.20. In 24 innings in this period, he crossed 50 eight times, with his slowest half-century coming off 25 balls. The scary thing for opponents is that India aren’t just reliant on him. In the second T20I in Raipur, when he was out for a first-ball duck, Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav helped them chase down 209 in 15.2 overs.
New Zealand will track Lockie Ferguson’s return keenly. The fast bowler is making a comeback from the calf injury he sustained during the ILT20. As a result, he had to cancel his stint with Sydney Thunder in the BBL. Ferguson, who has a casual contract with NZC, last played for New Zealand in November 2024. He was set to play in the Champions Trophy earlier this year only for a hamstring injury to rule him out.
Team news: New Zealand get reinforcements
Continuing with their rotation policy, India could bring back Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy for Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi.
India (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.
Neesham and Ferguson could come straight into the XI, replacing Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy.
New Zealand (probable): 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Mark Chapman, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Ish Sodhi
The last time Visakhapatnam hosted a T20I, in November 2023, India chased down 209 against Australia in the final over. It could be another high-scoring game on Wednesday, even if dew is not expected to play a major role.
“To sing our winning team song after a nice victory against a good side would be cool, but at the same time, you’ve got to look a bit deeper than wins and losses. And that’s not downplaying the results here, but we’ve got to make sure that we’re looking at the longer term and the bigger picture as well. And historically, New Zealand have peaked well during the ICC events.”
New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram
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