IND vs NZ 4th ODI: Shreyas Iyer elects to field at Bay Oval in Tauranga
India captain Shreyas Iyer chose to field after winning the toss for the fourth ODI against New Zealand at the Bay Oval in Tauranga on November 12, 2026. The match was cleared to proceed as a full game after several rain-affected fixtures earlier in the series, with pleasant conditions reported at the ground.
Sunshine and a light breeze greeted players and spectators at the Bay Oval, which was described as almost at full capacity, as officials prepared for the fourth ODI following a rain-soaked first half of the series. Iyer said the surface showed a bit of grass when he inspected it the previous day but was drier on match morning and, with dew expected, bowling was an obvious choice; he also confirmed Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan and Kuldeep Yadav would be included in India's XI.
Arshdeep Singh took the new ball and the early commentary captured the opening exchanges: "Arshdeep Singh to Will Young, No run, punched with sweet timing but not finding the gap." The coverage continued with: "Arshdeep Singh to Will Young, Right on the money. A bit of shape first up for Singh. Nice seam presentation by Arshdeep, who gets the ball to curve back in the air, and it does so late. Bowled on a length at the sticks. Young pushes out in front and ekes out an inside edge onto the front pad."
Match formalities unfolded under clear skies as the two umpires walked to the middle and the teams lined up for the national anthems, India first followed by New Zealand. A slip was in place when the umpire called, 'Let's Play', and Shreyas Iyer led the Indian side out of the huddle to take up the field, with Will Young and Tim Seifert named as New Zealand's openers.
New Zealand (Playing XI) - Tim Seifert (WK), Will Young, Nick Kelly (In for Henry Nicholls), Dean Foxcroft (In for Daryl Mitchell), Finn Allen (In for Glenn Phillips), Michael Bracewell (In for Tom Latham), Mitchell Santner (C), Kristian Clarke (In for Nathan Smith), Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry (In for Jacob Duffy), and Matthew Fisher.
India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad (In for Shubman Gill), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan (WK) (In for KL Rahul), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Anshul Kamboj), Gurnoor Brar, and Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner arrived at the toss smiling and joked that "he won't be heading to the casino anytime soon," adding he expected pace and bounce from the surface. Santner said his side had made six changes, naming Bracewell, Foxcroft, Allen, Clarke and Henry among those coming into the XI, and described the selection as a chance to test squad depth against a strong Indian team given the schedule's demands.
Rain has disrupted the series to date, with all three previous fixtures affected and the third ODI in Hamilton washed out. With clear weather forecast for the fourth ODI at Mount Maunganui, India are in a position where they cannot lose the series, while New Zealand can only level the contest by winning the remaining matches.
