Why have India not picked Ishan Kishan in playing XI for fourth T20I vs New Zealand?
After making a strong impression in his comeback series, Ishan Kishan failed to keep his spot in India's playing XI for the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Vizag.
New Delhi: Aiming to continue their winning run, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav once again won the toss and opted to bowl first in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand. After a long period of experiencing misfortune in coin tosses, luck has finally smiled upon the Men In Blue, who won their third toss on the trot in the fourth T20 International in Vizag on Wednesday.
India made one change in their playing XI and brought in an extra bowler in place of a specialist batter. Arshdeep Singh returned to the squad after losing his place in the third T20I in Guwahati. Ishan Kishan, who scored a swashbuckling half-century in the second T20I in Raipur, made way for the left-arm pacer.
For the Kiwis, Zak Foulkes replaced Kyle Jamieson in the playing XI.
India lead the five-match series 3-0 after registering a dominant 8-wicket win in the third match in Guwahati on Sunday and sealed their ninth series win on the trot.
Why is Ishan Kishan not playing in the fourth T20I vs New Zealand?
Kishan made a smashing comeback to international cricket with a magnificent 32-ball 76 in the second T20I and followed it up with a quickfire 28 in the third match. Drafted back into the international set-up after a long gap of more than two years, Kishan was expected to feature in all five matches to get some much-needed time ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
However, he missed out on the spot in the playing XI of the fourth T20I. His exclusion, however, was a forced one as Surya revealed that Ishan was sidelined due to a niggle he picked up in the third T20I. However, he did not reveal the extent of the injury, and it remains to be seen if he returns to match fitness ahead of the fifth T20I in Thiruvanantapuram on Saturday.
Teams: New Zealand: Tim Seifert (w), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.