India Vs New Zealand, 5th T20I: See Best Photos From Thiruvananthapuram
Sanju Samson would expect passionate home support to lift his game even as India fret over Axar Patel's fitness when they wind up their T20 World Cup preparations in the fifth and final T20 International against New Zealand at Thiruvananthapuram's Greenfield International Stadium on Saturday (January 31, 2026). India were in experimental mode in the fourth T20I at Visakhapatnam, sticking to five front-line bowlers without resorting to all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The plan didn't yield the desired result as the hosts lost even though the result does not alter the series outcome, which India has already sealed.
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav during a visit at Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, in Thiruvananthapuram. | Photo: PTI
India's Suryakumar Yadav, second right, and New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, centre, during toss before the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
Crowd screams before the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
India's Sanju Samson, left, and Abhishek Sharma arrive to bat during the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
India's Abhishek Sharma plays a shot during the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, right, celebrates the wicket of India's Sanju Samson, left, during the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
India's Ishan Kishan plays a shot during the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
India's Ishan Kishan, right, celebrates his half century with captain Suryakumar Yadav during the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
India's Ishan Kishan, right, celebrates his half century with captain Suryakumar Yadav during the fifth and final T20 International cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
India's captain Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his half century during the fifth and final T201 cricket match between India and New Zealand, at the Greenfield International Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram. | Photo: PTI/R SenthilKumar
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