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India v New Zealand fifth ODI on Sunday: India lead 2-1, Henry leaves, Randell called up
India lead the five-match ODI series 2-1 before the final match at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on Sunday 15 November. India were bowled out for 89 in the fourth match. New Zealand have called up Brett Randell and Matt Henry has left for the Test squad; Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are away.
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India lead New Zealand 2-1 in the five-match one-day series with one match to play, and the fifth ODI is on Sunday, 15 November 2026, at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. India were bowled out for 89 in the fourth match on Friday and lost it by 244 runs, which kept the series alive for New Zealand: a win for the hosts on Sunday would level it at 2-2, and a win for India would take it. The teams have changed, with New Zealand losing their best bowler of the last match and India missing several first-choice players. This preview was written before the toss and before either side named its team.
The series so far
India won the first two matches, in Auckland and Wellington, where the left-arm fast bowler Gurnoor Brar took 3 for 44 and then 4 for 30. The third match at Hamilton was washed out by rain without a result. On Friday, New Zealand batted first after India had won the toss and chose to field, and scored 333, with Will Young making a career-best 125, his fifth ODI century, and Tim Seifert 58 off 48 balls. Matt Henry took 6 for 27, the best figures of his career and his fourth five-wicket haul in ODIs, and India collapsed to 89 in 26.4 overs.
| Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| First ODI | Auckland | India won |
| Second ODI | Wellington | India won |
| Third ODI | Hamilton | Abandoned, rain |
| Fourth ODI | Mount Maunganui | New Zealand won by 244 runs |
| Fifth ODI | Mount Maunganui | Sunday, 15 November |
Henry, who played only this one match in the series, leaves to join the Test squad in Wellington and will miss the finale, since the first Test is at the Basin Reserve next week. New Zealand have called up the 31-year-old pace bowler Brett Randell for the final two ODIs, his first call-up to the national team. He has 145 professional caps, including five for New Zealand A, and recently returned from a spell with Derbyshire in the County Championship. Josh Clarkson has also been recalled.
New Zealand's squad for the match, under captain Mitchell Santner, is Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly, Brett Randell, Tim Seifert, Blair Tickner and Will Young. The squad does not include Henry, which means the hosts will have to find another bowler to take the new ball against an Indian batting order that was dismissed cheaply on Friday.
India's selection questions
India are stretched by the Test series that follows. Shubman Gill and KL Rahul have already left for Wellington to prepare for it, and Shreyas Iyer is the stand-in captain, with Ishan Kishan named vice-captain for the last two matches. Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to open with Rohit Sharma in Gill's absence, and Kishan is likely to bat in the middle order and keep wicket. On Friday Gaikwad was out for 5 to Kyle Jamieson with India nine for 4, and Kishan top-scored with 27.
Brar is likely to miss the final match so that he can join the Test preparations. He is not in the Test squad, but he has been asked to stay in New Zealand, with Arshdeep Singh and Aquib Nabi, to bowl in the nets to the Test batters, because the New Zealand side has tall fast bowlers. Management was to take the final call after the fourth match, and the accounts available do not say whether it has.
What is at stake
For India, a win on Sunday is a series win away from home, which would soften the memory of the 89. After the loss, head coach Gautam Gambhir said there are no unplayable deliveries and raised concern about repeated collapses in seamer-friendly conditions, and he has the same venue and a similar pitch to deal with. For New Zealand, a win would draw the series, and the home side will point to Young's century and the 244-run margin as proof of what they can do when they bat first.
The conditions will matter again. The Bay Oval pitch offered some bounce and movement under lights on Friday, and the report on it said it was not as difficult as the scoreline suggested. The toss and the first hour will probably decide the result, as they did on Friday. The start time and the final teams were not available in the accounts seen, so readers should check the Board of Control for Cricket in India's and New Zealand Cricket's match pages.
The fifth ODI is the last white-ball match of the tour, and the first Test follows at the Basin Reserve in Wellington next week. That is why Gill and Rahul have already left, why Henry is leaving, and why Brar may be asked to bowl in the nets. The players who remain for Sunday are in some cases fighting for places in the one-day side for the 2027 World Cup, and commentary after Friday's match tied the collapse to that selection debate, including questions about whether Iyer should be captain. Those are opinions, and the result on Sunday will give the selectors another piece of evidence.
Sources
About the Author
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Prateek Rawat
Staff Writer
Prateek Rawat is a contributor to Wirony. All articles published under this byline undergo editorial review and approval before publication, with any necessary corrections handled…
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