India eye ODI series triumph as New Zealand battle for survival

A new challenge awaits India in Mount Maunganui as they come in with a slightly tweaked side for the last two ODIs against New Zealand. With KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Anshul Kamboj parting ways with the ODI side for Test preparations, India will welcome Kumar Kushagra, Tilak Varma and Yash Thakur to replace them.

With the third ODI being a wash-out, New Zealand’s 11-series long winning streak ended. As India sits comfortably with a 2-0 lead, even if the Blackcaps win the last two games, the tally will only reach 2-2. However, with the series on the line, the hosts will undoubtedly go all in to stall an Indian side that has been rock-solid in the bowling department.

New Zealand will also miss key players like Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips who will join New Zealand’s preparations for the upcoming Test series. Blair Tickner has already been ruled out of the series after a bouncer struck him in the second ODI. The Kiwis added Brett Randell and Josh Clarkson as reinforcements, which only adds further spice to the growing rivalry between India and New Zealand.

Rain played spoilsport during the first three ODIs. However, forecasts show no update about possible precipitation in Tauranga for the next three to four days, meaning fans might see a full game of cricket, amplifying the stakes.

Venue Watch:

Bay Oval’s surface offers a great balance between the bat and the ball. The new ball will swing around, but the carry on the surface is fairly true. Batters will get full value for their shots. The weather prediction is also sunny for the upcoming days, meaning winds shouldn’t bother the batters. However, seam movements might look like a major threat on this track, which has been a general trend across all the New Zealand surfaces.

Match details:

Match: New Zealand vs India, 4th ODI

Venue: Bay Oval, Tauranga

Date: Wednesday, 13th November 2026

Time: 7:30 AM IST (3:00 PM local)

Head-to-head:

Matches played – 126

India – 65

New Zealand – 52

Tied – 1

No result - 8

Squads:

India:

Shreyas Iyer (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.

New Zealand:

Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay (WK), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert (WK), Will Young