HighLights
  1. Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bowl first.
  2. India had won the first three matches of the series.
  3. India have made two changes to their playing XI.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the fifth and final T20I of the series at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1. India have made two changes to their playing XI, bringing back Varun Chakravarthy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the series finale.

India have already sealed the series 3-1 before heading into this clash. However, the visitors will be keen to finish on a winning note after suffering an 87-run defeat in the fourth T20I at Eden Park, Auckland.

The hosts, meanwhile, will look to carry forward the momentum from their victory in the previous match. Glenn Phillips' century and Jacob Duffy's bowling performance helped New Zealand register a comprehensive win and avoid a series whitewash.

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India had won the first three matches of the series before New Zealand pulled one back in Auckland. The visitors will now aim to put that defeat behind them and close the tour's T20I leg with another victory.

Abhishek Sharma has been one of India's standout performers, while the middle order has also contributed at crucial moments. However, the bowling department will need to improve after conceding 259 runs in the fourth T20I.

Captains At Toss

Shreyas Iyer (India captain): "Great occasion to come here on this historical ground. We were looking to bat, wanted to test ourselves batting first. Auckland, the dimensions were different. But credit where it's due, Phillips played an incredible knock. Two changes: Varun comes in, and Bhuvi comes in. He's been waiting for his opportunity, and even in the huddle he gave a beautiful speech today."

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Mitchell Santner (New Zealand captain): "I just assumed I was going to lose the toss. We'll have a bowl. Yeah, I think obviously a new pitch - looks all right. Usually plays pretty good here. Might be a little bit of dew later on, I think. You've got to be, I guess, smart with the way you operate. I guess the dimensions change kind of, you know, around the country. So traditionally here they might, you know, if there's a little bit of bounce like Eden Park, it'd be quite nice. I guess the plans are similar. And if it's flat, we're going to have to adapt."

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India vs New Zealand Playing XIs

India (Playing XI)

Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

New Zealand (Playing XI)

Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner


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