India will arrive in the picturesque city of Visakhapatnam with the series already sealed. A ruthless eight-wicket thrashing of New Zealand in Guwahati, where 154 was chased down in just 10 overs, has handed the Men in Blue an unassailable 3-0 advantage. For India, the focus now shifts to fine-tuning their brutal, no-nonsense approach ahead of the T20 World Cup next month. For the Black Caps, it’s about salvaging pride and finding answers to an Indian spin attack and an opening pair that has looked virtually untouchable.
With the job done, India may consider resting key names like Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik Pandya to hand opportunities to Harshit Rana or Varun Chakaravarthy. Ishan Kishan’s explosive cameo in the previous match has only added to the sense that India’s top order is frighteningly deep. On the other side, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra have found early movement hard to handle. If they fail to get through the powerplay, New Zealand could once again be staring at a below-par score, one that India’s batters are more than happy to feast on.
IND vs NZ 4th T20I: Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan, (wk), Ravi Bishnoi
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, and Zakary Foulkes, with Finn Allen
ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium is a classic T20 surface, flat, firm, and tailor-made for aggressive strokeplay. The red-soil wicket generally produces true bounce, allowing batters to play through the line with confidence. However, Visakhapatnam’s coastal humidity can add a subtle twist, bringing spinners into play during the middle overs with just enough grip for bowlers. That said, the key influence is expected to be the heavy dew in the evening. As temperatures fall, the outfield is likely to quicken and become slippery, making ball control a real challenge for bowlers. Under such conditions, the team winning the toss will almost certainly prefer to bowl first.
ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium Stats & Records
- Total T20I Matches: 12
- Matches won batting first: 3
- Matches won bowling first: 9
- Average 1st Innings Score: 127
- Average 2nd Innings Score: 117
- Highest Total Recorded: 209/8 (19.5 Overs) by India vs Australia
- Lowest Total Recorded: 82/10 (18 Overs) by Sri Lanka vs India
- Highest Score Chased: 209/8 (19.5 Overs) by India vs Australia
- Lowest Score Defended: 138/4 (20 Overs) by Australia vs India
Also READ: Top 4 chases of 150+ runs in T20Is with most balls remaining ft. Team India
