IND vs NZ Live: With series in pocket, India target more fireworks vs New Zealand

Lockie Ferguson said he was thrilled to be back in the national setup after an injury-hit 2025.

"Yeah, really happy to be back with the Black Caps. I love being part of this group. Nice to be back in India as well. So, looking forward to hopefully partaking at some point.

"Challenging 2025 for sure. But I still want to get better. I still want to perform on the world stage. I think being in a World Cup picture is nice. Obviously, there's some water to go under the bridge for me before then. I want to test myself against the best in the world.

"So, rehab sucks. Injuries suck. There's no doubt about it. I think there's been a lot of injuries in world cricket. It's been challenging for the fast bowlers," he added.

Ferguson expressed hope that New Zealand would bounce back from their T20I series defeat and perform well in next month’s World Cup, to be played across India and Sri Lanka.

"There's very different grounds and wickets in India, certainly over the last five, ten years, they have become outstanding. They're good wickets to bat on and make it challenging for bowlers. But you can see bowlers have developed their skills throughout that.

"Obviously, India's going very nicely now, but we'll have some different competition in the World Cup. So, it's adjusting to the ground.

"The conditions change all the time, which is why it's so exciting. So, the Black Caps have been very good at that for a long period of time and I'm sure it won't change," he noted.

New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram on Tuesday expressed hope that his side would be able to move on from their heavy defeats against India in the ongoing T20I series and hit their stride at next month’s T20 World Cup.

The Kiwis had entered the five-match series full of confidence after clinching their maiden ODI series victory in India, but they have struggled to contain a relentless Indian top order.

"Well, the easy answer is that we win these two games (4th and 5th T20Is) and that would be nice for the overall team confidence. I said before about guys coming back from niggles and injury layoffs, guys finding their own individual confidence, but to win games is nice," Oram said at the pre-match press conference here.

However, Oram acknowledged that the focus had to extend beyond the immediate results, with the ICC event looming large.

"To sing our winning team song after a nice victory against a good side would be cool, but at the same time you've got to look a bit deeper than wins and losses.

"And that's not downplaying the results here, but we've got to make sure that we're looking at the longer term and the bigger picture as well. And historically New Zealand have peaked well during the ICC events.

"Despite the results (in the ongoing T20I series), if we come out better off for it, and we're somewhere near the Super 8s in the semifinals and the final (of T20 WC), this will be a great period for us," he said.

Asked how the side plans to remain composed amid sustained pressure from aggressive Indian batting, Oram pointed to New Zealand’s natural ability to stay level-headed.

"I think we have an ability to stay calm amidst the storm that is currently happening and I think that is part and parcel of who we are as a team and probably as New Zealanders as well. We don't get too high or low and we know we're not playing as well as we can.

"At the same time we know that this Indian team is so good. So, we've got to make sure that we keep our eye on the longer term. I think that's part of the reason why we are able to peak for ICC events. And if that happens in February, March, then that's great," he added.

The former New Zealand all-rounder also said the potential return of express pacer Lockie Ferguson could add a fresh dimension to the bowling attack.

"He'll go through a battery of tests, if you want to call it that, where he's bowling, fielding and coming out to bowl. It almost simulates spells where he's going up and down in his energy and we're hoping to have him back for the back end of the series," Oram said.

Indian cricket team's captain Surya Kumar Yadav is back in the top ten batters list in the latest ICC T20I rankings released on Wednesday. He has moved up by five places and is currently placed at seventh position, following a prolific run in the ongoing five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which India is currently leading by 3-0.

The Indian skipper, who was struggling to get runs in the shortest format, played a match-winning knock of 82 runs in the second match and also ended his 468-day half-century drought. Suryakumar continued this momentum in the next match as he scored 57 runs off just 26 balls.

India's opener Abhishek Sharma also strengthened his position at the top with a blistering 68-run innings in the third T20I. With 929 points, he has increased his advantage at the top to 80 rating points.

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah also gained four places to move to 13th in the bowlers' ranking after three wickets against the Blackcaps in that third T20I, with teammate Varun Chakravarthy still maintaining his position at the top, following a splendid performance against the Blackcaps.

All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube continued to gain in the rankings after performing well in the ongoing series. Hardik is up by one spot to move to third, while Dube jumps five places to be placed at eleven.

New Zealand's all-rounder Glenn Phillips has moved 18 places to be placed at 44 in the batters ranking following a good run against India. While South Africa's captain Aiden Markram has moved to the 20th number, and West Indies hard-hitter Brandon King has also moved 15 places.

Afghanistan's Mujeeb Ur Rahman, South Africa's Corbin Bosch and West Indies seamer Matthew Forde have moved up by five, eight, and nineteen spots in the bowlers ranking.

England's top batting pair of Harry Brook and Joe Root helped their team win the ODI series against Sri Lanka. As a result, Brook has moved to 11th position, and Root is up by six spots to move to 17th in the ODI batters ranking.

Struggling opener Sanju Samson received a strong show of support, with India bowling coach Morne Morkel backing the batter to turn things around, saying he is just one innings away from rediscovering his form.

Samson has managed only 16 runs across three T20Is so far, with a top score of 10, even as fellow top-order batters Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have gone hard at the New Zealand attack.

"Sanju is one knock away from getting that confidence, getting that form back. For us, building up to the World Cup it's important for the guys to find that peak performance at the right time. He's training well, he's hitting the ball very well," Morkel said on the eve of the fourth T20I here.

Although it was an optional training session, Samson spent over 30 minutes in the nets, taking throwdowns and facing a range of bowlers including Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek and side-armer Raghu.

After a tentative start, Samson began to look more fluent, timing the ball sweetly and sending a few deliveries to the far corners of the ACA-VDCA Stadium.

The Kerala batter later had an extended discussion with head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak near the nets, while Shreyas Iyer continued his practice nearby. The coaches were seen patiently offering guidance and inputs to the out-of-form batter.

Morkel, however, insisted he was not overly concerned about Samson’s lack of runs, stressing that team success takes precedence over individual returns.

"So, I think it's just a matter of time for him to get his foot on the board. But the main focus is that the team is winning, and I think that's important. We're 3-0 up in this series at the moment, the boys are playing some very good cricket.

"We've got a couple of games now before the start of the World Cup, and I have no doubt that Sanju will find his form," added the South African.

In that backdrop, India could weigh up retaining Bishnoi, who returned figures of 4-0-18-2 in Guwahati, and bringing Chakravarthy back in place of Kuldeep to give the latter a breather. The hosts will also monitor Axar Patel’s fitness, with the all-rounder sidelined since the opening match in Nagpur due to a finger injury.

While the bowling combinations are still settling, India’s batting has been in devastating form. The revamped top order has transformed the side’s T20 approach, with the third match resembling an extended Power Play. Abhishek has struck at over 300, while Suryakumar and Kishan have hovered close to 230.

Such has been the ferocity of the batting that India have spent a combined 25.2 overs chasing 209 and 154 in the last two games. With the Visakhapatnam pitch and dew expected to aid run-scoring again, another high-scoring affair seems likely.

One concern, though, is Sanju Samson’s lean run despite opening the innings. His tally of 16 runs in three matches has made for a difficult series, though with Tilak Varma still unavailable, Samson is likely to get another opportunity, possibly at No. 3.

For New Zealand, little has clicked. While their batters have shown brief flashes, the bowlers have struggled to contain India’s onslaught. Jacob Duffy, with an economy of 10.30, has been their most economical, with the rest enduring heavy punishment. Unless the visitors find quick answers, another tough outing could be on the cards.

Teams (from):

India: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert.

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of 4th T20I match between India and New Zealand at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

With the series already wrapped up, India will look for an upturn in their spinners’ showing as they aim to stretch their dominance over New Zealand in the fourth T20I here on Wednesday.

The batting blitz unleashed by Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, which has powered India to a 3-0 lead, has so far papered over the below-par returns from frontline spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.

Kuldeep has managed two wickets in as many matches but has been far from his elusive best, leaking runs at 9.5 an over.

The left-arm wrist spinner endured three costly overs that went for 32 runs even as India restricted the Kiwis to 153 for nine, helped by excellent spells from Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi and Hardik Pandya. His struggles mirror the preceding ODI series, where he claimed three wickets across three games at an economy of 7.28.

Chakravarthy, who sat out the third T20I, presents a slightly different case, having featured in two high-scoring contests in which New Zealand posted 190 and 208.

However, the usual sharpness has been missing from his bowling, and the brief break may have helped him recharge.