Ind Vs Nz – Hardik Pandya to be Out in 5th Match! Know the Probable Playing XI

India vs New Zealand – The Indian cricket team will play its fifth and final match of the series against New Zealand today. This match will be played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, and there is a lot of excitement among the fans.

The Indian team has already won the series 3-1, and now their focus will be on ending it with a victory. Did you know that there are likely to be two major changes in the team today? Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel are expected to return to the playing XI.

Ishan Kishan missed the previous match due to injury. Axar Patel has been out of the playing eleven since the first T20 match. Now the question is, who will these two players replace in the team?

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Hardik Pandya could be rested.ed

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who played all four matches of the series, is being considered for a rest in the final match. Pandya is known for his excellent batting and bowling. He was rested from bowling in the last T20 match.

Considering the upcoming T20 World Cup, the selectors might give him a rest. All-rounder Axar Patel could be included in his place. Patel can contribute with both his bowling and batting.

Ishan Kishan could be included.

In the last match, the Indian cricket team played with six bowlers, but this experiment proved to be completely unsuccessful. Therefore, when Ishan Kishan returns for the fifth T20, one bowler might be dropped. Since Axar Patel will likely replace Hardik Pandya, it is expected that either Harshit Rana or Kuldeep Yadav will be benched to make way for Ishan Kishan. Kishan’s inclusion will significantly strengthen the Indian team.

India’s Probable Playing XI

Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

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For your information, the Indian cricket team will be playing more matches in the ICC T20 World Cup after today, and fans are showing great anticipation for it. The ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7, 2026. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. All of Pakistan’s matches will be played in Sri Lanka.