Hapless New Zealand in search of first win as dominant India look to extend lead with T20 series in pocket

India and New Zealand head to this port city in Andhra Pradesh for the fourth T20I of a series already decided, but with plenty still at stake as the hosts aim for a clean sweep at the Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium and the visitors look to salvage some pride.

Holding an unassailable 3–0 lead, India have dominated the contest so far and will see this match as another opportunity to fine-tune combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup. New Zealand, meanwhile, will be desperate to produce a more complete performance after being outplayed in all departments in the previous encounter.

In the third T20I, the BlackCaps struggled to gain momentum after being put in to bat. Early wickets put them on the back foot, forcing the middle order to rebuild rather than accelerate. Glenn Phillips stood firm with a determined knock, while Mark Chapman and captain Mitchell Santner added valuable runs, but a lack of sustained partnerships meant New Zealand could only post a modest total.

India’s bowlers were relentless, led by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, whose pace and precision dismantled the batting line-up. The talismanic pacer returned to peak form in his second outing of the series, dismantling New Zealand with figures of 3-17.

With his pace, swing variations, and the presence of dew in Vizag, Bumrah could be primed to add further wickets to his tally. He also received strong support from Ravi Bishnoi, Hardik Pandya, and Harshit Rana, ensuring the visitors were kept well below par.

The chase was emphatic despite an early setback. Abhishek Sharma’s explosive approach immediately seized control of the match, and with Suryakumar Yadav continuing his rich vein of form, India wrapped up the target with remarkable ease and time to spare.

The dynamic Indian opener set the stadium ablaze yet again with his fearless hitting in the previous match. His blistering unbeaten 68 off just 20 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and five towering sixes at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 340, left fans spellbound. Reaching his half-century in just 14 balls, he registered the second-fastest T20I fifty for India.

Wednesday’s clash will be the fifth men’s T20I hosted at the ACA-VDCA Stadium, a venue last used for a men’s T20I in November 2023, when India pulled off a thrilling two-wicket win against Australia.

With history, momentum, and confidence firmly on their side, India will be eyeing another dominant display, while New Zealand will be hoping Visakhapatnam offers them a chance to change the narrative before the series concludes in the fifth and final match ofthe series in Thiruvananthapuram on Jan.31. Victory will be a good morale-booster ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Iyer, a temporary pick for the ongoing T20 series against New Zealand due to Tilak Varma’s fitness problems, has been kept in the squad for the remaining matches.

He will accompany the team to Visakhapatnam and later to Thiruvananthapuram for the final two games of the five-match series.

Iyer was named as a replacement for Tilak for the first three matches, but the youngster won’t be returning for this series now. The 23-year-old needed surgery in Rajkot earlier this month during a Vijay Hazare match. He is currently at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, has begun rehab, and will join the squad in Mumbai for the T20 World Cup, starting on Feb.7, once he is fully fit.

“India batter Tilak Varma has resumed physical training and is making steady progress with his rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. However, he will require additional time to regain full match fitness and will not be available for the final two T20Is of the ongoing five-match T20I series,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“Tilak will link up with the squad in Mumbai once he has regained full match fitness on Feb.3, ahead of India’s warm-up match for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The Men’s Selection Committee has recommended that Shreyas Iyer will continue as Tilak Varma’s replacement for the remaining matches,” the statement further read. Iyer, the vice-captain in ODIs, has not secured a spot in the playing XI for the current series, which India won by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead on Sunday.

He has not appeared in a T20I since December 2023. Meanwhile, all eyes in the state capital in Kerala will be focused on the Greenfield Stadium, which hosts the fifth T20I against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday with the spotlight firmly fixed on one man — Sanju Samson. Playing in his hometown in front of around 35,000 spectators that are expected to jam-pack the Greenfield Stadium, Samson stands at a familiar crossroads where promise, pressure, and perception collide.

Agencies