IND vs NZ 5th T20I: New Zealand To Bowl First; Bhuvi Back In India XI

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out of India's playing XI yet again as New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and elected to bowl in the fifth T20I at Seddon Park, Hamilton. India made two changes to their line-up, bringing in Varun Chakravarthy and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while retaining the same batting combination that featured in the previous match.

India's bid to seal a clean sweep had already suffered a setback after New Zealand registered a convincing 87-run win in the fourth T20I on Friday. Ishan Kishan's return to the side had resulted in Sooryavanshi being dropped for that game, and the young opener was once again unable to find a place in the XI for the series finale.

India also had several other options on the bench, including Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube, who could have been considered for the final match. However, the team management opted for only two changes.

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

What Captains Said...

Shreyas Iyer: 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.

Mitchell Santner: I just assumed I'd lose the toss. We'll have a bowl. Obviously a new pitch. Might be a little bit of dew later. Have to adapt quickly to the dimensions. If there's bit of bounce like Eden Park, will be nice. Obviously with the bat we've been good this whole series. Was obviously a bit more in the wicket the other night which was nice for the seamers. One change. Tickner is back.