In a cruel move, and one that would definitely be unpopular among fans, the Indian team management has dropped Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from the playing XI for the IND vs NZ 4th T20I.
The 15-year-old had demonstrated his destructive abilities once again in the 3rd T20I, where he smashed 45 runs off 19 balls with the help of four sixes and as many fours, forming a dazzling partnership of 133 runs in 7 overs with Abhishek Sharma.
Despite his blazing knock in the India vs New Zealand 3rd T20I, Sooryavanshi has faced the axe in the 4th T20I.
The IND vs NZ 4th T20I got underway on Friday, October 30, at the Eden Park in Auckland. India skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first. Iyer announced two changes to India’s XI, including Sooryavanshi being benched.
IND vs NZ: Why Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Not Playing Today In 4th T20I?
In the 4th T20I, Sooryavanshi was replaced by Ishan Kishan in the team. Kishan had missed the last two matches owing to a low-grade right adductor strain. With Kishan fit for the 4th T20I, Sooryavanshi was dropped even though he had made a strong statement with the bat in the previous match.
Sooryavanshi’s exclusion further asserted the team management’s declaration of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma being the first-choice opening pair for India in T20Is.
Further, India dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose return to international cricket after four years has been underwhelming: Bhuvneshwar took only one wicket in three matches in this series and leaked runs at an economy of 11.58, the worst among all Indian bowlers used in this series. Mayank Yadav replaced Bhuvneshwar in the bowling attack.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner named one change to their playing XI: Nathan Smith returns for Kyle Jamieson.
India vs New Zealand 4th T20I Playing XIs:
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (C), Nathan Smith, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Jacob Duffy, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Adam Milne, Bevon Jacobs, Matthew Fisher
India: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh
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