Shreyas Iyer will lead India for the first time in an ODI when the fourth match of the series begins at Bay Oval on Friday, November 13.

Iyer will be the country's 29th men's ODI captain, and a win would settle the series with a game still to play. As the third match was washed out, India head into the penultimate game with a 2-0 lead.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the only senior batters left in the group, with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul now preparing for the Test series. Tilak Varma returns as a finisher, while Yash Thakur and Kumar Kushagra could both make their debuts.

New Zealand have not won a completed match in the series so far. They were held to 185 in Auckland and bowled out for 134 in Wellington.

Mount Maunganui should also give the batters more than Auckland or Wellington did. The last ODI here, in October 2025, brought Harry Brook's 135 off 101 balls for England.

The Sporting News brings you the pitch report, key ODI records, and everything you need to know about the ground ahead of the fourth ODI between New Zealand and India. 

Bay Oval, Tauranga pitch report

Bay Oval is one of the better batting surfaces in New Zealand. The pitch offers true bounce, and the outfield is quick, and six of the 11 full-length first innings here have produced 280 or more, including three totals above 315.

The new ball still does plenty early, which is why so many sides have been bowled out here. Twelve of the 26 completed innings at the ground have ended with a team all out, and seven of those collapses came inside 47 overs.

The toss has not made a difference either way. Teams batting first have won six of the 13 ODIs here and chasing seven sides, and New Zealand showed in February 2020 that 296 is gettable, reaching 300 for 5 with 17 balls to spare against India.

India will take heart from their record here. They won by 90 runs and by seven wickets in January 2019, and Kuldeep Yadav's 4 for 45 in the first of those games remains the best return by an India bowler at the venue.

What is the average ODI score at Bay Oval?

The average first-innings score at Bay Oval is 272 across the 11 full-length ODIs played here. The two rain-reduced matches, against Pakistan in April 2025 and England in October 2025, are left out of that figure, as both were cut well short of 50 overs.

Two associate fixtures pull that number down slightly. Canada made 210 against the Netherlands in 2014, and the Netherlands were bowled out for 202 by New Zealand in 2022, and taking those two games out lifts the average first-innings total to 287.

Highest team total at Bay Oval in ODIs

New Zealand's 371 for 7 against Sri Lanka on January 3, 2019, is the highest total at Bay Oval. Martin Guptill made 138 off 139 balls in that innings, and Sri Lanka's reply of 326 is the second-highest score the ground has seen.

India own the highest first-innings total by a visiting side, the 324 for 4 they made on January 26, 2019, before winning by 90 runs. New Zealand's 300 for 5 against India in February 2020 is the only successful 300-plus chase here.

Lowest team total at Bay Oval in ODIs

The Netherlands' 202 in 49.4 overs against New Zealand on March 29, 2022, is the lowest total at Bay Oval. Canada's 210 against the Netherlands in January 2014 is next, and both of the two lowest scores belong to associate sides.

Among the Test nations, New Zealand has the two lowest. They were dismissed for 210 in 46.3 overs chasing against South Africa in October 2014 and for 223 in 49.4 overs against England in February 2018, losing both games.

Highest individual score at Bay Oval in ODIs

Thisara Perera's 140 for Sri Lanka against New Zealand on January 5, 2019, is the highest score at the ground and one of the most destructive. He needed only 74 balls and hit 13 sixes, although Sri Lanka still fell 21 runs short.

Martin Guptill's 138 is second. The highest by an India batter is KL Rahul's 112 off 113 balls in February 2020, and Rahul is not in the squad for this match.

Best bowling figures at Bay Oval in ODIs

Ben Sears took 5 for 34 in nine overs against Pakistan on April 5, 2025, the best figures at Bay Oval. Henry's 5 for 40 against Sri Lanka in January 2016 is the only other five-wicket haul at the ground, and both came in the second innings.

Michael Rippon's 4 for 37 for the Netherlands against Canada and Zak Foulkes' 4 for 41 against England follow. Kuldeep's 4 for 45 against New Zealand in January 2019 completes the list, and he is in India's squad for this game.

Most runs at Bay Oval in ODIs

Guptill leads with 415 runs in 10 innings at an average of 41.50, and his two hundreds are the most by anyone here. Ross Taylor is second with 353 runs at 44.12, and Henry Nicholls is third with 252 at 28.00.

Rohit Sharma is the leading India run-scorer at the ground with 149 runs in two innings at an average of 74.50, with two fifties and a best of 87. He is also the only batter from either squad in the ground's top 10 run scorers.

Most wickets at Bay Oval in ODIs

Trent Boult leads with 16 wickets in eight matches at an average of 26.62 and an economy of 5.59. Henry is second with 11 wickets in five matches at 23.90, and his 5 for 40 is his best return at the ground.

Henry is the leading wicket-taker in either squad for this match, and he needs five more to go past Boult. Yuzvendra Chahal's seven wickets in three matches at an average of 21.42 is the most by an India bowler at Bay Oval, and he is not part of this squad.