The action now moves to the Westpac Stadium in Wellington for the 5th and final match of the One Day International series between India and New Zealand. The 4th ODI saw New Zealanders finally come to their own. Their bowling rattled team India and bundled out the Indian batsman for a paltry 92 runs. Trent Boult took a five-for and won the man of the match award for his spectacular bowling effort. In reply, New Zealand took only 14.4 overs to reach the target. Henry Nicholls and Ross Taylor were not out at the end of the innings. Both the wickets that fell went to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Now, coming to the fifth and final ODI of the series, India would be hoping to dominate and end the series on a high. At the top of the order, Shubman Gill would want to prove his worth. MS Dhoni is also expected to come back in the playing XI at expense of Dinesh Karthik. The Indian team management would want to give Dhoni ample match practice prior to the World Cup. India has played three matches at the Westpac stadium, and has only emerged victorious on one occasion. Predicted playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Ambati Rayadu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, K Khaleel Ahmed, and Yuzvendra Chahal. New Zealand would be more than happy with their performance in the last ODI. The Black Caps definitely look a different unit when the ball swings and given Wellington's conditions, they might field an unchanged playing XI. Ross Taylor during the 4th ODI It is the batting that has been the concern for them and that question still persists because they chased a smaller total last time out. Till now, New Zealand have played 29 ODIs at Westpac Stadium and won 16 out of those. Predicted playing XI: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Colin de Grandhomme, Todd Astle, Matt Henry, and Trent Boult.<doc-sep>Gavaskar feels MS Dhoni will replace THIS player in 5th ODI | Photo Credit: AP, File Image India suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the fourth ODI of the five-match series. In the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli and an injured MS Dhoni, the Rohit Sharma-led side were bundled out for a paltry 92 as Trent Boult and Co wreaked havoc to humble the Indian side. The entire middle order collapsed after the experienced opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit failed. From Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav to Hardik Pandya, none of the Indian batters showed promise and crumbled under pressure. Now, former Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar has said that MS Dhoni will replace Karthik if he is fit to play as he believes that Shubman Gill will get another shot in the fifth and final ODI of the series. Gill, who made his senior debut in the fourth ODI, showed plenty of promise in his knock, which lasted for 21 deliveries, but an experienced and ‘on-fire’ Boult made him his victim. Such was the misery of the Indian batters that it was Yuzvendra Chahal (18*), who scored the maximum runs for the Men in Blue. “My feeling is that they will have Dhoni come in place of Karthik. This is probably the one change that I can foresee. About the other changes, it will totally depend on the kind of pitch that they see. I don’t see too much changes coming up. Shubman will certainly get another opportunity,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying on Star Sports. Meanwhile, India have already won the five-match ODI series by winning the first three matches, but will look to end the ODI series on a high when they take the field at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Sunday. After the ODI series, India will play a three-match T20I series against New Zealand starting from February 6 onwards.<doc-sep>The chance of a series whitewash now gone, a depleted India will nevertheless look to end their five-match ODI series against New Zealand with a win as the teams gear up for the final match of the series at Wellington on Sunday (February 3). Trent Boult taking advantage of conditions that assisted swing bowling gave the Kiwis something to smile about, but only a win in the final ODI will see them end the series with their heads held high after India sealed the series at Mount Maunganui. It didn’t help that the visitors were missing both Virat Kohli (rested for the remainder of the tour) and MS Dhoni (out injured) but the disappointment from the Indian camp was palpable. Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said after the match that the loss served as a ‘reality check’ for India while stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma said that the team’s performance with the bat was ‘one of the worst performances for a long time’. The series is already in the bag and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect more experimentation from India in the final match as well, but the previous encounter did bring up some old concerns. Middle Order Still a Worry? Once Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan were dismissed cheaply, the middle order failed to provide much resistance; India’s highest scorers on the day were Hardik Pandya (16) and Yuzvendra Chahal (17). Both Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik went without troubling the scorers whereas Kedhar Jadhav added just a solitary run to the total before departing. Debutant Shubman Gill could also only score 9 runs, but perhaps the bigger concern for India will be the manner in which Rayudu, Karthik and Jadhav folded since these players are expected to be a part of the middle-order in the World Cup. “It was about applying ourselves. Once you get in, things will start to look easier. We played some bad shots as well. It's always challenging when the ball is swinging,” Rohit had said after the game. India might not expect pitches that offer that much assistance to seamers in the World Cup, but you never know with the English pitches. In any case, the middle order would do well to heed Rohit’s advice and get themselves in no matter the pitch conditions before looking to take on the bowlers. However, given that the conditions on offer at Wellington will be different, the poor showing at Hamilton could well be put down as a one-off. Hosts’ Concerns Boult had admitted after the previous game that pulling one back in the series was satisfying but the hosts go into their last game with issues of their own to sort. Boult stole the show at Hamilton but the Kiwis know their batting will have to be better than what it has been throughout the series if they are to end the series on a high. They failed to bat their full quota of overs in the first three games. Frustratingly for them, many batsmen have managed to get starts but rarely have they been able to convert them into a big score. Many had expected the Kiwis to present a stiff challenge to India after Kohli’s men had dominated the Tests and ODIs in Australia, but the side that finished the previous World Cup as runners-up have looked ordinary so far in the series. They will also likely be without the services of Martin Guptill, who aggravated his lower back during fielding practice. A call on his availability will be taken tomorrow morning. Colin Munro has rejoined the squad as a back-up. Nevertheless, Kane Williamson will be hoping his side can put their recent poor form behind them. Another win against India would be a good step in that direction.<doc-sep>The Indian cricket team will be aiming to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat when they take on New Zealand in the final ODI encounter in Wellington on Sunday. After taking a 3-0 lead in the series, the visitors were defeated by eight wickets in their previous match. However, with MS Dhoni set to return and Mohammed Shami potentially replacing Mohammed Siraj, they will be looking to end the series on a high. Here’s a look at the predicted XI for the Indian team for the fifth ODI in Wellington - Rohit Sharma The stand-in skipper has been in tremendous form in this series. He scored two back-to-back half-centuries in the second and third ODI. A good start is always imperative for any team and along with opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit has provided it more often than not. The Mumbai batsman scored 87 and 62 in the second and third ODI respectively. The responsibility of captaincy will certainly motivate him to score even better. READ: Chief selector MSK Prasad lauds team’s bench strength Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan showed good form in the first two ODIs, but was unable to continue his brilliant run in the next two matches. The hard-hitting opening batsman will be certainly looking to get among the runs and maybe score a big hundred. Dhawan didn’t have a great ODI series in Australia, but has made it count in New Zealand. Shubman Gill The star of the U-19 World Cup in 2018, Shubman Gill caught the eye of the selectors with his performances in domestic cricket. The Punjab batsman has scored 1,089 runs in 9 first-class matches and 1,529 runs in 36 List A matches. Virat Kohli has said that he wasn’t even 10 percent of what Gill is when he was 19 years old. Gill was unable to score big in the fourth ODI but he will surely look to grab his chance in the final encounter. Ambati Rayudu Even though Rayudu has been batting at number four in this series, he hasn’t got enough time to show his potential. However, he has played his role perfectly in the first three matches. MS Dhoni MS Dhoni missed the last two matches due to a hamstring injury. However, with the India batsmen failing miserably in the final match, he will certainly play instead of Dinesh Karthik if declared fit. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in good nick since the ODI series in Australia. Dhoni has shown that he can still finish games with his cool and calm demeanour and also strike the big hits when India are setting a target. Kedar Jadhav Kedar Jadhav made an impact with the 10 deliveries he faced with a score of 22 runs during the second ODI encounter. He strung an important partnership of 53 runs with MS Dhoni which helped the visitors to take their score over 320. The 33-year-old has been contributing with a few wickets as well. Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya made a fantastic comeback to the Indian team with figures of 2/45 and a spectacular catch to dismiss New Zealand’s best batsman Kane Williamson. In the fourth ODI, he was one of the few batsmen to reach double figures for India.Pandya will surely want to make a bigger mark in international cricket after the controversy and he also provides good balance to the side with his ability to bat and bowl. READ: Mithali Raj’s India go down by 8 wickets in 3rd ODI to New Zealand Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowling in good rhythm in this series. He has bowled at tight line and lengths at a decent economy rate. The fast bowler has provided early breakthroughs in the last two ODIs. He has taken the wicket of opening batsman Martin Guptill in the last three matches. Mohammed Shami has said that Bhuvneshwar’s bowling has helped him bowl better at the other end. Kuldeep Yadav Kuldeep Yadav has been in great form in this ODI series. He took consecutive four-wicket hauls in the first two matches. He may have gone wicket-less in the third ODI, but he still bowled an economical spell of 4.87 in eight overs. The chinaman bowler has forged a great relationship with Yuzvendra Chahal, restricting the opposition’s runs by taking wickets in the middle overs. Yuzvendra Chahal Yuzvendra Chahal has been bowling brilliantly since the third ODI against Australia. In this series, he has bowled economical spells and chipped in with six wickets in the first three games. The leg-spinner is a vital player for the World Cup and a good performance from the youngster will certainly boost his chances. Mohammed Shami Shami has been playing non-stop since the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. With 7 wickets from three matches, he was brilliant for the visitors and after resting for two matches, he will be looking to end the tour on a high. With the pitches assisting the pacers, he will look to add more wickets to his kitty.<doc-sep>
Predicting India's playing XI for 5th ODI | Photo Credit: AP The absence of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in the 4th One-Day International against New Zealand on Thursday saw the Indian team break a string of unwanted records. Having been dismissed for a paltry total of 92 runs, Rohit Sharma's men would look to conclude the ODI series on a high by winning the 5th and final ODI in Wellington. While the dead rubber is expected to have the team continue their experimentation with the playing XI, the return of Dhoni in the line-up is expected to boost India's chances. Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme ripped through the Indian batting order, taking 8 wickets between them, while Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav were the top-scoring batsmen for the team. Kiwis would hope to continue their winning momentum and end the series with a respectable scoreline of 3-2. The absence of KL Rahul doesn't give India the opportunity to experiment at the top. Hence, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are expected to continue to open while Shubman Gill – the man who made his ODI debut in Hamilton – would come in at No. 3. (READ | MS Dhoni fit to play in 5th ODI? Assistant coach Sanjay Bangar answers) One of Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu is expected to be dropped as Dhoni returns to the playing XI. The veteran wicket-keeper batsman – whose return was confirmed by assistant coach Sanjay Bangar – is likely to be drafted in the team in place of Karthik, who had replaced him behind the stumps in the past couple of matches. While Hardik Pandya is expected to continue playing the third seamer's role, Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be rested while Mohammed Shami is likely to make a return in the playing XI after being rested from the 4th ODI. Mohammed Siraj – another pacer in the roster – could also be put in the mix but the chances of his inclusion are fairly slim. One spinner between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to be rested in favour of Ravindra Jadeja, who hasn't played a game on this tour so far. India's Predicted Playing XI for the 5th ODI: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami