New Zealand captain breaks India's toss streak before final T20

Mitchell Santner won the toss for the first time in the series against India on Sunday in Hamilton, New Zealand. The decision to bowl first sets the immediate tactical order for the fifth and final Twenty20 international. This marks a distinct shift in momentum from the previous four encounters.

India's Shreyas Iyer had won the toss in every match prior to Sunday. That advantage correlated directly with India's early control of the contest. The visitors took the first three matches by margins of four wickets, four wickets, and six wickets respectively. Those results established a comfortable lead for the Indian side.

New Zealand responded with a high-scoring chase in the fourth match in Auckland on Friday. Glenn Phillips anchored that effort with a century. The hosts chased down the target to win by 87 runs. That performance eliminated India's series lead and forced this deciding fixture.

Both captains altered their playing lineups for the final day. India recalled pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and gave wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthi his first appearance of the tournament. New Zealand replaced Matt Fisher with pacer Blair Tickner. These changes signal an attempt to adjust bowling strategies for the conditions in Hamilton.

The full New Zealand lineup includes Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Adam Milne, Jacob Duffy, and Blair Tickner. India fields Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthi, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.