New Zealand vs India Match Preview (4th T20I), Wellington: Predicted 11, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report

India sealed the series in Hamilton last night after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the third T20I. They would certainly like to carry the momentum forward and try and whitewash New Zealand in their own backyard which would be a huge feat.

India has shown high level of skills in the first couple of games of the series, but what they showed in the third game was character.

First, it was Mohammed Shami who kept his cool bowling the last over of the game and hit his spots brilliantly, despite the game seemingly having swept away from India’s hands.

And then, when Shami’s heroics dragged the game to the Super Over, it was the Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma who took the onus upon himself and showed tremendous composure under pressure to win the game for India with consecutive hits into the stands.

Winning would still be India’s objective in the fourth T20I, but they, at the same time, would also like to try out the fringe players who have been warming the bench so far in the series. While some of the fringe players would get a look-in, India would still like to keep their core intact.

New Zealand were far better in the third game than they were in the first two games, but they would be really disappointed about the fact that they couldn’t get over the line when all odds and equations were in their favour.

It was a hard pill to swallow for the Kiwis, but they will now have to lift themselves up and restore some pride in the remaining games.

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Match Details

Date: January 31, 2020 (Friday)

Time: 12:30 PM (IST)

Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Weather forecast

Wellington will be cloudy on Friday. The humidity will be as high as 72%, but the temperature will be pleasant. The maximum temperature forecasted during the day is 23°C which is not troublesome for the players. There are no chances of any showers and the game should go ahead without any obstructions/delays.

Pitch Report

At the Westpac Stadium, it will be a drop-in pitch. We have seen with the drop-in pitches in New Zealand this season that the ball is holding onto the surface a little bit, bringing the spinners into play as well. This pitch might be the same. However, with the bounce being pretty even and the boundaries being short, it’s expected to be another high-scoring fixture.

Probable XI

India: India will definitely make a few changes, having won the series already. KL Rahul might be rested and Sanju Samson might replace him at the top of the order to open the innings with Rohit Sharma.

Shivam Dube has not looked very comfortable with the bat in the middle order and he might have to make way for Rishabh Pant as well, who will keep wickets if he plays.

India might also rest their premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah who has just comeback from a stress fracture and has played quite a few games on the bounce since his return. If Bumrah is rested, Navdeep Saini is most likely to play.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini

New Zealand: Colin de Grandhomme was in the New Zealand squad for only first three games of the series and he has now been replaced by Tom Bruce.

Bruce is a wicket-keeper batsman and he is likely to walk straight into the XI and replace Tim Seifert who has not been in the greatest of forms either with bat or gloves in the series so far.

Daryl Mitchell will come in for Grandhomme which means Ross Taylor will be pushed up the order to no. 4. New Zealand might also want to play Blair Tickner for Tim Southee who went for a lot of runs in the last game.

Predicted XI: Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Bruce (WK), Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ish Sodhi, Hamish Bennett, Blair Tickner

Prediction

Although India might rest some of their key players, they are still a very strong unit and breaking their momentum will be an uphill task for New Zealand in Wellington. The prediction is for India to win the match and stretch their lead to 4-0.