Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav [Source: @BCCI/x]India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bat first against New Zealand in the fifth T20I of their five-match series on Saturday, January 31. After winning the toss, the cricketer confirmed three changes in the playing XI. Much to the delight of a near-capacity crowd at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, local lad Sanju Samson retained his place in the playing XI for the dead-rubber. It is worth noting that Samson recently made his return to the top of the order in the Indian team at an expense of struggling opener and ousted vice-captain Shubman Gill. Thiruvananthapuram erupts as Sanju Samson to play 5th T20I India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked to confirm if the team management had made any changes in the playing XI in the fifth T20I against New Zealand. The cricketer confirmed that rested stars Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel both will be making their returns to the XI after missing the previous game. While Suryakumar Yadav seemingly forgot the name of the third change, he confirmed to the lively Greenfield Stadium crowd that local boy Sanju Samson is still a part of the team. The skipper said, “We have 3 changes tonight, but don’t worry Trivandrum, Sanju Samson is playing.”CREX @Crex_live Suryakumar during toss 🗣️ “We have 3 changes tonight, but don’t worry Trivandrum, Sanju Samson is playing”. #Cricket #INDvsNZ Jan 31, 2026, 6:42 PM For the unversed, ace spinner Varun Chakravarthy was the third change that Suryakumar Yadav forgot to mention.India’s playing XI for 5th T20I vs NZ: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun ChakaravarthySanju Samson continues to struggle in his return as opener Earlier this month, Sanju Samson was included in Team India squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Moreover, the cricketer replaced exiled and struggling opener Shubman Gill at the top of the order, doing so just before the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. As it turned out, Sanju Samson failed to make the most of his opportunity back at the top in each of the first four games of the series. In the first four innings, the blistering right-handed batter managed to mint just 40 runs at a below par batting average of 10. He was even dismissed for a first-ball duck in the third T20I in Guwahati last week before Ishan Kishan, captain Suryakumar Yadav and in-form Abhishek Sharma made lightwork of New Zealand’s 153-run total. India vs New Zealand 5th T20I a final roar before T20 World Cup 2026 The fifth T20I between India and the visiting New Zealand team marks the final international outing for both sides in their road towards the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next month. Team India, under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, has already clinched the series with comprehensive wins in the first three games. New Zealand jolted India by a 40-run margin a couple of days ago in the fourth T20I as played out at the VDCA Stadium in Vizag. All-rounder Shivam Dube bludgeoned a 15-ball half-century in the game to lead India’s counterattacking fightback. However, New Zealand bowlers Mitchell Santner and Jacob Duffy kept India down to just 165 in their chase of 216.
