New Zealand need answers as India eye World Cup combinations in 4th T20I

The roles have changed, it’s now New Zealand that needs a result, not India, when India take on New Zealand in the 4th T20I. Coming dashing from three games of mind-boggling hitting and ruthless chases, the real battle is now about finding the combinations that can cut it when the margins get smaller.

Wednesday’s game at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam is at 7:00 PM local time. This ground tends to reward clean and crisp hitting, and could also offer early swing if the bowlers find the right lengths. New Zealand, nursing a very sore scoreline and a slightly unsettled group, are still looking for a way to take down India’s powerhouse top three.

India’s position: series won, but intensity stays

India can sit back, knowing they’ve already won the series, and rotate their team while keeping the intensity they’ve shown so far in the 2025-26 T20I series, where they’ve turned proper totals into gentle workouts, and then crushed the opposition in the process. So it’s really about finding the magic combination and roles that would get them through the World Cup.

Well-known for their story, the numbers from the first three games tell us that the character of this series has been rewritten, with India’s powerplay turning the tide of the game. India smashed 238 in Nagpur and still ran away with it, chased 209 in Raipur with 28 balls left, and pounced on 154 in Guwahi inside ten overs. Those aren’t normal chases, they’re chases that steal the wind out of the opposing team’s sails, and New Zealand have looked like they were defending 15 runs less than they actually were, because India’s top three basically turned every single total into a piece of cake.

India’s scoring tempo and the top-order problem that isn’t about talent

The thing about India’s game isn’t all about sixes, it’s about the speed at which they score, they’ve hit a series strike rate of over 200 in the first three matches, so the bowlers have been defending their pride as much as runs, Abhishek Sharma has shown what’s coming from the start, with his 84 off 35 in the first match and then his 68 off just 20 in Guwahi, really got the message across. When facing Rishabh Pant, you don’t want to go too aggressive because he loves to get out in front of the ball and crush it over the leg side, and if the lengths are all over the place, he can really take advantage of it.

New Zealand’s simplest plan for Pant

Coming from New Zealand, the simplest plan would be to fire the ball down the leg side into his body, basically a packed leg-side boundary, and then change the speed of the ball without changing its length, but that’s asking for perfection, one bad ball and the game could be slipping away.

Ishan Kishan’s impact on selection and the Samson question

Ishan Kishan’s had a major impact on the team’s selection dynamics. Raipur was the turning point of the series. Ishan’s 76 off just 32 and Suryakumar Yadav’s 82 not out off 37 made the game feel over already, and India weren’t just clinging to the coat tails of the opposition. They were racing through the hard part of the game.

One of Ishan’s real strengths is that he can get going from the word go. He doesn’t need 10 balls to settle in, and can still keep things interesting against the spinners, which isn’t easy. Well-known problems for India’s top-order have more to do with roles than talent. They already have Abhishek fixed at the top, and Suryakumar’s getting back to his old self. It’s now a battle to see who will give you the best starts without throwing off the balance of the team.

Sanju Samson’s period of struggle has been relatively quiet recently. India’s been winning so comprehensively that Samson’s contributions haven’t gotten much press. But, it’s an issue they need to address in a World Cup year, if they want to lock down their opening-keeper slot, they can’t afford to carry someone who’s in a slump.

India’s two selection plans in Vizag

India has got a great problem to have, a wealth of talent, lots of options and a hot streak that lets them play around with the lineup without panicking. Coming into Vizag they have two crystal-clear plans, either sticking with Sanju Samson and laying down the gauntlet for him, which involves taking risks in the first four overs and then really going after the spinners, or they can shake things up a bit, put Ishan at the top of the order where he can be the powerplay aggressor, and fit Samuon into the lineup only if they feel it’s necessary.

Conditions in Vizag: batting first, but don’t ignore swing and spin

Vizag is known for having true batting surfaces, but don’t think you can ignore the possibility of swing, either. When facing New Zealand, India’s first two overs could be their making, and if they don’t let through 25 runs, they’ll be able to make the Kiwis’ middle order take to the field and actually play cricket instead of the slapdash game they’ve been in all series.

The dew is a less guaranteed feature in Vizag than in other places, so captains won’t be forced into a mad dash to the end of the innings. If the sun stays out, the spinners will be able to get a better grip on the ball, and that will transform the picture for India, making 185 look very achievable.

India’s rotation, Axar Patel’s return, and bowling experimentation

Coming into the match, India will be looking to rotate their players without throwing away the edge they have. With Hardik Pandya playing his third match in a row, they’ll likely want to rest him, and given the bigger picture, that’s probably a good idea.

Axar Patel is on the mend, and that gives India some breathing space.

A left-arm spinner, a deep batting backup and a run-saving fielder in the ring. If Axar takes the field, they won’t have to sacrifice their attacking approach, but will be able to keep the momentum going.

The real area for experimentation is in the bowling. India have got various spinning options: wrist spin, mystery spin and picks based on the opposition, and if the pitch is flat, they play the wicket-taking option, and if it’s slow they load up on spin and choke the middle overs. Well-known smart move from the Indians is to treat Vizag as a dry run. They pick a bowling attack that can hold off 175 on a batting surface, not one that looks incredible after smashing 220.

The middle-order reshuffle: Shreyas Iyer in, Tilak Varma out

Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion in the squad, and Tilak Varma’s absence from the last two T20Is, are the things that interest me the most. Varma was basically the bridge between the powerplay and the death overs, and now he’s gone. If India want stability they can have a go at throwing Shreyas Iyer in that spot, even if he’s not the long-term T20 specialist for every single surface. His presence completely changes how the game unfolds, making the opposition play more cautiously against the spinners, and more aggressively once they’re in. If India want to double down on their aggressive style, they can do so by flooding the field with floaters and relying on Shivam Dube as a target man. Rinku Singh is essentially their closer who can also jump in the batting line-up if needed, and they don’t want one bad over to slow down the momentum, when New Zealand are bowling.

New Zealand’s batting: get the best hitters more balls

Well-known problem for New Zealand is that their best hitters don’t face enough deliveries, coming into the game when it’s already against them, and then they’re forced into a situation where they have to take massive risks against bowlers who are already grooving into a rhythm.

Daryl Mitchell has been one of New Zealand’s stand-out players in this series, and because he’s not afraid of getting a couple of dots in a row, they can try getting him in the batting order earlier. If they do, the odds are that he’ll knock out a 45 off 30 balls which will calm down the game.

New Zealand also need more from Glenn Phillips. Coming heading into the shorter boundaries won’t work for him, but if he can find a way to play the V on the ground, and force the spinners to pitch the ball wider, then New Zealand’s middle overs won’t feel like a holding pen anymore.

New Zealand’s bowling plans: protect straight lines, attack bodies, disguise pace

When it comes to bowling, New Zealand need to make up their mind to shield the straight boundaries during the powerplay, even if it means offering up the square boundary and putting faith in their fielders, and they’ve already seen that India’s top order are very good at hitting length balls straight and down the ground, so they should take that away first.

Then they need to target the batters’ bodies with hard, hip-to-rib length deliveries that won’t allow Abhishek and Ishan to swing away to their heart’s content. Variation is fine, but needs to be completely well-concealed, floating slower balls get hit for sixes and the smarter approach is a gentle tapering down in pace, cutters that hold a fraction longer and wide yorkers as a surprise, not something they rely on. When Jasprit Bumrah was declared the Player of the Match in Guwahi, it was a reminder that, on nights when batters try to take shortcuts, a world-class bowler can still run the show, his value isn’t just measured by the number of wickets he takes. He is basically making the batters play run-of-the-mill cricket for two overs and that is something that is invaluable when the target is being chased in just ten overs.

Well-known for their aggressive style of play, New Zealand have to figure out how they want to face Bumrah, if they show him too much respect they will fall behind and then take a lot of risks, but if they go at him without a plan, they will lose wickets and won’t find a way to settle. The best way to take him down is to have a clear plan to hit him for 12 runs in one over, then rotating the strike and hitting his one mistake. It’s not exactly the most thrilling brand of cricket, but that’s what will keep New Zealand in the game the longest.

Match outlook, fantasy/betting angle, and what to watch

Coming to the game in Vizag, I think it will be a high-scoring match, but the initial two overs could be a bit tricky if the ball swings, if New Zealand knock off the first set of wickets, they’ll get the chance to test India’s middle order in a run chase that won’t be a complete disaster. If you are following the match from a fantasy or betting angle, watch out for the toss and whether India mix up their utility players, lots of people also check the live odds on platforms like Fun88 to see how much of an impact India’s powerplay has on the game.

Likely lineups and key decision points

India’s starting lineup is looking like a repeat of their previous performance, with Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and the bowling department led by Bumrah. The decisions they need to make are around Axar Patel’s return, giving Hardik a break and which two spinners they will send out. India are going to rely on the batting of Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Phillips, Chapman, Mitchell Santner, and a very aggressive fast bowling unit that can bowl yorkers under pressure, when facing New Zealand. They’re considering sending Daryl Mitchell up the order and still settling the line-up with recent changes and new arrivals, so who gets the job done isn’t as important as the roles they fill. Like who starts the second innings, who bowls the 7th and 9th overs when India go after spin and who covers the vacant no.4 spot if the top order falls apart.

Series performance snapshot

Pitch expectation in one line

The Vizag pitch is expected to be very good for batting, with an early swing that New Zealand need to make the most of to put themselves in the game, and India are watching the top part of their order, specifically how they balance the act around Sanju Samson.