🏏 New Zealand vs India 5th T20I in Thiruvananthapuram 7 PM IST🏏 - Page 2

Thanks for the tag Soni.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Thank you for the tag Soni ☺️

I really want to know the combination of playing XI today

Thanks for the tag Soni!

Best of luck to both the teams!

Thank you Soni for the thread and for tagging.

Best wishes to both the teams.

It's the series finale and the final game for both these sides ahead of the T20 World Cup. India have the series sealed at 3-1 and New Zealand are coming off a dominant win in the last game. Will the series end in a 4-1 or a 3-2, and which players, under the scanner, will perform today in Thiruvananthapuram?

Rohit Sharma on players using social media

“We stayed together for those 45 days. We spent a lot of time together, doing various activities, pulling each other’s leg and giving fielding medals. The fielding medal was introduced during that World Cup. We did all these interesting things, it was a lot of fun and that reflected on the ground,” Sharma told JioHotstar.

Rohit Sharma on players using social media

“But I didn’t go and discuss this with anyone. Rahul bhai (Rahul Dravid) and I were discussing whether we should speak to the team about it. Rahul bhai said, ‘I don’t know if it’s the right thing. It’s very personal. You take the call.’ So, I let it go. But a lot of the boys also suggested, ‘Let’s do it.’ I won’t take names, but two or three guys came and told me this. That’s why, if you see, the 2023 World Cup was one of our best campaigns, not just because of what we did on the field, but also off it,” Sharma recalled.

Yuzvendra Chahal on Sanju Samson

“However, there’s no need to feel too bad because the T20 World Cup is still far. There’s one more match against New Zealand. It now depends on the team management’s thinking. If they feel Sanju is struggling as an opener and Ishan is doing well at number three, then the right call would be to make Sanju sit out and let Ishan Kishan take his spot as the opener and wicketkeeper in the final T20I,” Chahal added.

How will weather play

According to the Accuweather app, the temperature on Saturday will hover around 25 to 30 degrees Celsius over the course of the match. There is forecast for rain next week in Kerala’s state capital but it is highly unlikely for any showers to appear during the match. However, humidity will be a factor for both sides to deal with, and the dew that accompanies it.

How will the pitch play?

The playing surface of the Greenfield International Stadium has been a mixed bag in the four men’s T20Is that have been played here thus far. India won the last two T20Is played here. The first was against Australia in which they piled up a big total and defended it and the second was against South Africa before that, in which they bowled out the opposition for 106 and won. However, this series has consistently featured belters across grounds in the country and it would be a bit of a surprise if we don’t get similar conditions in Thiruvananthapuram as well.

Sunil Gavaskar on Shivam Dube

“I thought he grabbed the opportunity really well. As you said, when you bat at six or seven, you’re probably getting three or four overs with a strong Indian batting line-up. But this time India lost early wickets, and he had to come in sooner. He showed intent from the very first ball — that first-ball six was one of the longest you’ll see, right into the second tier. When you strike a shot like that early, your confidence soars. He knows that if he connects, the ball is going into the stands because he’s got that power, the swing, and the timing. It ended up being the third-fastest fifty for India, which is remarkable — you’re talking about Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and now Shivam Dube,” said Gavaskar.

Sanju Samson returns to his home ground today. However, there is a cloud hanging over him due to his recent lack of form. His low returns and the manner of his dismissals - deep in the crease - are putting pressure on his spot in the side for the T20 World Cup. Can he buy himself some breathing space today?