IND vs NZ: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on bench again; Shreyas Iyer makes two changes for the fifth T20I against New Zealand

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner finally won the toss in the five-match T20I series, opting to bat first in the fifth and final match against India at Seddon Park on Sunday.After losing the toss in the first four matches, Santner got his first win in the coin toss. Both teams made two changes to their playing elevens for the last game.India brought back Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Chakravarthy and left out Mayank Yadav and Axar Patel. New Zealand included Blair Tickner in place of Matt Fisher.But teenage batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was again left out of the playing XI.

There is no place for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was again left out of the playing XI. The teenager featured in just two matches in the series and came into the side when Ishan Kishan was injured.India has already taken an elusive 3-1 lead in the five-match series. They won the first three matches to seal the series before New Zealand bounced back with an 87-run victory in the fourth T20I.Both teams will now look to end the series with a win.

Bhuvneshwar, Varun return to Indian playing XI

India captain Shreyas Iyer said the team wanted to bat first and test themselves after chasing in all four previous matches.“(To bat first in the T20I final) Yeah, I think it’s a great opportunity to come here, especially in this historic territory. And we wanted to bat as well. We definitely wanted to test batting first, you know, all four games that we’ve been chasing. So I want to feel how the wicket is going to play in the first innings,” Iyer said.“(On India’s plans after the Auckland defeat) The dimensions were different in Auckland. The bowlers had slightly different plans against certain batsmen. But also credit where it’s due. Phillips, he played an exceptional knock. But it’s important that we go with our instincts and make sure we bowl according to the plan and also what the wicket requires and Varunve’s changes and Varunve gets two changes and two changes. Bhuvi is coming in. Yes, he was definitely waiting on his occasion and today I feel that he gave us a beautiful speech even in the huddle, so he is pumped up and looking forward to this competition.Bhuvneshwar was dropped for the fourth T20I after failing to make much of an impact in his first three matches of the series. Varun made a comeback after missing the one-off T20I against Japan and the Asian Games due to an abdominal strain sustained during the Afghanistan series.

Santner wins the first toss of the series

Santner said he expected to lose the toss again but was glad to get the opportunity to bowl first.“I just assumed I’d lose the pitch. We’re going to have a bowl. Probably a new pitch. It might get a bit dewy later on. I’ve got to adapt to the dimensions quickly. If there’s a bit of bounce like Eden Park, it’ll be nice. We’ve been good with the bat this whole series. One night was obviously a bit more at the wicket, which was nice on the other hand.” Santner said at the toss.New Zealand made one change, bringing Tickner back into the side in place of Fisher.

India vs New Zealand 5th T20I: Playing XI

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

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