India vs New Zealand, 5th T20I preview: India go for 4-1 at Seddon Park on Sunday, New Zealand ride Phillips after the 87-run win

India have the trophy, but the last game of the tour’s T20I leg still carries something to play for. Shreyas Iyer’s side play the closing match of the five-game series against New Zealand on Sunday, 1 November, at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The first ball is due at 12:30 pm IST. A win would close the series 4-1; a New Zealand win would make it 3-2.

India won each of the first three matches and wrapped up the series early. The mood changed at Eden Park on Friday, when New Zealand piled up 259 for 7 and bowled India out of the chase at 172 for 9, winning by 87 runs. It was India’s first defeat of the tour, as Telugu Scope reported.

The man to stop

Glenn Phillips has been New Zealand’s best batter in the series, making a century and a pair of half-centuries in four outings. His 107 from just 49 deliveries in Auckland turned the fourth match, and Jacob Duffy’s four early wickets then finished the job. Captain Mitchell Santner will hope the same pair can do it again.

India’s bowling under the lens

India’s batting has carried them through most of the series, but Friday exposed the bowling. Mayank Yadav’s pace troubled the New Zealand top order early, yet the attack had no answer once Phillips got going. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are both in the squad, and the dead rubber gives the team management room to look at more options.

The two Telugu players in the side, Hyderabad’s Tilak Varma and Andhra all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, will want to finish the series on a high after both got starts in Auckland without going on.

The ground

The boundaries at Seddon Park are small and the pitch tends to favour batting, so any loose ball is likely to be punished and another huge total would be no surprise. Seamers could get a little help in the first few overs.

Viewers in India can watch it live on Sony’s sports channels or stream it on the SonyLIV app. India stay on in New Zealand for an ODI series after this game.