IND vs NZ, 4th T20I: Why are Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped from India's playing XI?

India made two changes to their playing XI for the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, October 30. Ishan Kishan returned after recovering from a groin injury, while Mayank Yadav was brought in as India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first.

The two players replaced Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who were left out of the playing XI. India have already secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series and are now aiming to complete a clean sweep.

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Why are Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing?

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been dropped after featuring in India's first three T20Is against New Zealand. The experienced pacer managed just one wicket across those matches and conceded 10 or more runs per over in each of his outings.

Bhuvneshwar had returned to India's T20I setup earlier this month after a four-year gap, featuring in the fifth T20I against West Indies. However, that match was washed out due to rain, and he did not get an opportunity to bowl.

Meanwhile, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been left out despite an impressive performance in the third T20I. The 15-year-old scored 45 runs off just 19 balls in the previous match, but made way for the returning Ishan Kishan.

Kishan had missed the previous two T20Is due to a low-grade right adductor, or groin, strain. With his return, Sanju Samson is back to opening the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma.

Shreyas Iyer explains India's decision to bowl

After winning the toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed that the team would bowl first. He also praised the side's execution and ability to adapt to the conditions in the previous match.

"The intent, the positivity right from ball one, it was amazing. And the most important aspect I felt was adapting to the conditions. We realised that anything that is bowled hard length or half-volleys was going into the stands. So it's better to bowl yorkers as quickly as possible. So the execution was phenomenal," Shreyas said at the toss.

India have been dominant throughout the series and will look to maintain their momentum as they pursue a 5-0 result.

New Zealand make one change

New Zealand have also made a change to their playing XI, bringing in Nathan Smith in place of Kyle Jamieson. Jamieson will miss the remainder of the series as part of his workload management.

The hosts will be hoping to register their first victory of the series after India sealed the contest with three consecutive wins.

Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav.

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher.