As New Zealand (NZ) and India (IND) entered the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui for the fourth ODI of the five-match series on Friday, November 13, Shreyas Iyer had come out to lead the visiting time and not the mainstay skipper Shubman Gill, making fans wonder why the attacking opening batter is not playing the penultimate contest.

NZ vs IND: Toss Update

Iyer made an impact right away as the ODI captain, calling it correctly to win the toss. He opted to bowl first and said that the relatively less amount of grass on the surface means that they were confident of successfully restricting the hosts below a par score and chasing it down. He also shared the team combination at the toss, confirming three changes to the playing XI.

NZ vs IND: Why is Gill not available?

As a matter of fact, Gill is not in the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs, and so are senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul and young pacer Anshul Kamboj. All of these players have joined the Test camp for the couple of red-ball encounters, which are set to get underway in less than a week from now. India brought in Ishan Kishan to take the wicket-taking duties, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kuldeep Yadav also making it through.

New Zealand, on the other hand, made a whopping six changes, as skipper Mitchell Santner also had a few of the squad members get ready for Test cricket.

NZ vs IND: Playing XIs

New Zealand

Tim Seifert (WK), Will Young, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Matthew Fisher

India

Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh

NZ vs IND: What did the captains say?

Shreyas Iyer, India captain, said:

"We will bowl first. [Decision to bowl first - chasing strategy, pitch conditions and evening dew] Yes, absolutely. I think it's about chasing, and when we looked at the wicket yesterday, there was a little bit amount of grass, but today it looks pretty dry, and also considering the dew coming in in the evening, one of the reasons we have opted to bowl first.

"[Taking over from Shubman Gill - assessment of previous matches and importance of the remaining games at the Bay Oval] Well, it's important firstly to analyse the matches we've played before. We couldn't get proper games, but still I think the approach and attitude was phenomenal, and coming into this one, we are going to definitely treat it as a knockout. So the coming two games, it's going to be crucial and of cardinal importance.

"[Team changes - players coming into the side] Ruturaj, Ishan Kishan and Kuldeep Yadav."

Mitchell Santner, New Zealand captain, said

"[On losing yet another toss] I think it's nine tails in a row. What were the odds on that? I won't be going to the casino anytime soon, but yeah, looks like a great day for cricket. It's usually a pretty good wicket here and obviously with the wind and a bit of sun, it'll be nice. [On the conditions] Yeah, it looks obviously a little bit of grass. I think it'll still have a bit of pace and bounce, but, I think with the wind and obviously the sun, it could dry out a little bit. But it should be a good wicket. "

[On the changes] Six changes. We got Nick Kelly at three, Foxy (Foxcroft) in as well at four, Finn Allen, Kristian Clarke, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry. It gives guys opportunities, which is nice. Obviously building the depth of our team leading into a World Cup year and then I guess them challenging themselves against a very, very good team.

"With the schedules and stuff, I think India obviously had to do the same with the quick turnaround for the Test and then go to Australia. I think it's probably part of what we had to do. But yeah, it gives guys opportunities, which is nice."