Tilak Varma gets more rest as India look set to continue domination of Kiwis
India v New Zealand | 4th T20I | Wednesday 28th January | Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam | 3:30m
India currently leads the five-match series 3-0.
India are the number one ranked T20I side in the world. New Zealand meanwhile are ranked fourth.
India have won each of their last five games against New Zealand.
India’s Abhishek Sharma, who is the number one ranked T20I batsman in the world, reached 50 from 14 balls in the third T20I on Sunday before going on to reach 68 from 20 balls. It was the third time in his career that Abhishek has reached 50 within the powerplay.
Varun Chakravarthy (first) and Jacob Duffy (fourth) are the two top ranked bowlers in the series.
Tilak Varma was expected to rejoin the Indian side for the final two games of the series, but it has been confirmed that he will take more time off to recover from surgery – he will however play for India at the T20 World Cup.
Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
Wednesday’s game at Visakhapatnam will be New Zealand’s first game at the venue.
India have played four previous games at the stadium; they have won three of those games with their sole defeat coming against Australia in 2019.
In three of the previous four games at the ground the team that won the toss elected to field first.
The team that fields first has won three of the four games played at the venue.
The average first innings score at the venue is just 127 runs.
The highest score made at the ground was India’s 209 for eight from 19.5 overs, scored against Australia in 2023. The was also the highest successful chase at the ground.
The lowest score made at the ground was Sri Lanka’s 82 all out made against India in 2016.
Weather:
The weather in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday will continue to be excellent, characterized by bright sunshine and clear skies. Daytime temperatures are expected to peak at approximately 30 degrees, accompanied by a gentle southeasterly breeze. The evening will remain clear and dry with no chance of precipitation, as temperatures gradually drop to a comfortable low of 18.
Form (most recent game first):
India: W, W, W, W, A.
New Zealand: L, L, L, W, NR.
Key player:
India, Suryakumar Yadav: India’s T20I skipper went through a bad patch in 2025, but he has returned to form at just the right time with back-to-back 50-plus scores in the last two games. Batting in tandem with Abhishek Sharma on Sunday the duo scored so quickly they reached the Kiwis score in just 10 overs. Having Suryakumar back in form will come as a major boost to India who are already brim-full of confidence. Yadav averages 36.98 in T20I and scores at a rate of 165.03.
New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra: With Test and ODI averages that are 40-plus, Ravindra will know that his T20I average of 19.93 is well below where it should be. Ravindra is a wonderful all-format player who has three 50’s from 37 T20I innings. He’s made scores of one, 44 and four thus far this series, and will want to play himself into form ahead of the World Cup. Batting at number three Ravindra is key to the balance of the Black Cap side – if the Black Caps are to win a game in the series, they will need Ravindra to strike form.
Verdict: India
New Zealand are far from a bad side, but the gulf between the two sides has only got bigger since the start of the series. The Kiwis may be missing a few players, but this is the core of the side that will do duty at the World Cup. Despite this they have been consistently out-batted and out-bowled. That India won the last game with ten overs to spare shows just how in control they were – they won by eight wickets even though Sanju Samson was dismissed off the first ball. Expect India to win again.
