With a strong opportunity to seal the white-ball series, India faced New Zealand in the fifth ODI on Sunday, November 15, at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. Ahead of the series finale, the Men in Blue handed a debut to right-arm pacer Yash Thakur, but fans were also focused on whether Mohammed Siraj, the senior-most bowler in the Indian side, had been given a place to showcase his worth.
NZ vs IND: Toss Update
New Zealand won the toss as Mitchell Santner called correctly for the first time in the series and had no hesitation in choosing to bowl first. While the hosts were confident of leveling the series with a win, India captain Shreyas Iyer said it was important for his side to recover from the poor performance in the fourth match.
NZ vs IND: Mohammed Siraj in?
While India would have been pleased that Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson were rested from the game to prepare for the Test series, they also made a couple of changes of their own, with Gurnoor Brar and Kuldeep Yadav being rested. Yash Thakur was handed an ODI debut, while Mohammed Siraj came into the side for the first time in the series to build rhythm ahead of the red-ball matches beginning November 19.
NZ vs IND: Playing XI
India
Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur
New Zealand
Will Young, Tim Seifert (WK), Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Kristian Clarke, Blair Tickner, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher
NZ vs IND: What did the captains say?
Mitchell Santner, New Zealand captain, said:
“I am not sure of that, didn’t expect to win. We’re going to bowl. The pitch still looks all right, and there are supposed to be a few showers later on, possibly with a bit of dew as well, so we’ll see how it goes. [On the previous day’s break] It was pretty relaxed. With the late finishes and everything, it was a good day to recover and get ready for another big game today.
“[On the changes to the bowling attack] Obviously, Matt Henry and Kyle have gone to join the guys for Test preparation. It was nice to get six overs out of KJ. We’ve got Duffy and Tickner coming back in, who are also great bowlers. So, it’s a similar combination with four seamers again. [On New Zealand’s bowling depth] With the schedule and everything going on, you have to rotate the players around a little bit. It gives guys opportunities, which is cool. It’s a World Cup year as well, so we’re building the depth of our bowling stocks, and the guys have come in and performed straight away, which is always nice.”
Shreyas Iyer, India captain, said:
“We were also waiting for this opportunity for the first time, but we saw how the ball was staying pretty straight when they were batting and wasn’t seaming that much. So, that’s a good sign and gives us confidence about batting first as well. [On the previous day’s break] It was crucial for us to recover as much as possible, especially after fielding for 50 overs and getting out a bit early, which was quite disappointing. But that also reflected a bit on how we would be going today, so we’re in high spirits.
“[On Yash Thakur’s debut] He’s a jovial guy who has been waiting for the opportunity to play for the country and has been in the scheme of things for a while. I’m glad he’s getting the opportunity to prove himself today. It’s his debut, so good luck to him. [On Siraj’s return] Obviously, Siraj has also been craving an opportunity to play in all formats. He’s been around the team for a while and is pretty experienced. He’s played over the years, so he knows how to go about things. We’re super excited for him as well.”