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. Bowling under siege - Except for the Guwahati T20I, this series has been a slog for bowlers from both sides, with 200-plus totals becoming almost routine. The Powerplay has been particularly brutal, with most going for 9 or 10 an over and few making a real dent. For India, only Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have held their own, while for New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Jacob Duffy have been the exceptions. Further dissecting the numbers shows that amidst the carnage, Jasprit Bumrah has been frugal as usual with an economy of just 7.63, and the same has been true to an extent for Jacob Duffy. What to expect in Trivandrum? It is only after November 2023 that men’s T20I cricket will return to Greenfield Stadium. In the recent WT20I series between India and Sri Lanka in December 2025, the average first-innings score hovered around 165-170, suggesting another high-scoring affair. Interestingly, of the four men’s T20Is held at this venue so far, results are evenly split with two wins for teams batting first and two for those chasing. India have won three of those four, including a rain-shortened clash against New Zealand back in 2017. The average first innings score at this stadium is 155, while the highest total was put up by India against Australia in 2023, when they scored 235 runs in 20 overs. So expect nothing short of a run fest. Form (Last 5 completed T20Is, most recent first) - India - LWWWW | New Zealand - WLLLW. Possible changes for the 5th T20I - Varun Chakaravarthy, rested for the last two games, could return to the side, most likely replacing Ravi Bishnoi, who has made the most of his opportunities so far. Ishan Kishan is also expected back, but who makes way remains unclear. For New Zealand, Finn Allen’s arrival virtually guarantees him a spot in the XI, with either Mark Chapman or Rachin Ravindra likely to sit out. James Neesham could also be considered for inclusion. While Bracewell could be swapped in as well.
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