Santner wins toss, tells India to bat in final T20
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner broke a four-match losing streak by choosing to field first against India in Hamilton.
By Michael Bennett ·
Mitchell Santner won the coin toss for the first time in five matches on Sunday, opting to bowl first in the final Twenty20 international against India.
The decision reverses the series trend. India captain Shreyas Iyer had won the toss in every prior game, leading his team to victories in the first three contests by four wickets, four wickets, and six wickets respectively.
New Zealand broke the losing streak on Friday in Auckland, securing an 87-run win powered by a century from Glenn Phillips.
Both teams adjusted their playing XIs for this final match. India brought in pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and gave wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthi his debut in the series. New Zealand recalled Blair Tickner to replace Matt Fisher in the bowling attack.
The full New Zealand lineup includes Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, and Blair Tickner.
India fields Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthi, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
