Overview
- Suryakumar Yadav won the toss in Thiruvananthapuram and chose to bat, saying India wants to challenge its bowlers under expected late-evening dew.
- Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy returned to the XI, Sanju Samson was retained, and Hardik Pandya featured despite pre-match rest speculation.
- Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi made way as India reverted to a more balanced combination after the six-batter experiment backfired in Visakhapatnam.
- New Zealand made four changes, bringing in Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson and Bevon Jacobs, as India entered the finale with a 3–1 series lead.
- Coaching staff acknowledged Samson’s lean run while backing him, Rohit Sharma highlighted Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh as World Cup keys, and fitness updates pointed to Tilak Varma nearing a return with Washington Sundar due for assessment on February 4.