Santner Wins Toss, New Zealand Sets to Bowl in Final ODI

Mitchell Santner won the coin toss on Sunday morning and elected for New Zealand to bowl first in the fifth one-day international against India at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. This marked a rare victory in a series where the opposing team has dominated the coin flip. India captains Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer had won eight of the nine previous tosses in the Twenty20 and one-day international series.

Santner admitted he was not counting on the win when he took the field. "I'm unsure. I didn't expect to win (the toss)," he said. The decision to bowl comes after a decisive performance by New Zealand earlier in the week. They defeated India by 244 runs in the fourth ODI at the same venue on Friday. In that match, New Zealand posted 333 runs and restricted India to 89.

India captain Shreyas Iyer stated that his team remains in "high spirits" despite the heavy loss. India currently leads the five-match series 2-1. One match in the series was washed out by weather, leaving Sunday's game to determine the final standing of the tournament.

New Zealand has made personnel changes for the final match. Matt Henry, who took six wickets for 27 runs on Friday, has left the squad. He has joined the national team for the first Test match, which begins in Wellington on Thursday. Henry’s departure follows the dismissal of key Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Iyer in his first over during the previous game.

Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner have re-entered the New Zealand lineup for Sunday. This change brings the total number of bowlers used by New Zealand in the series to nine. The batting order includes Will Young, Tim Seifert, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Finn Allen, and Michael Bracewell, with Santner captaining the side.

India has adjusted its roster as well. Right-arm pacer Yash Thakur is making his one-day international debut for the team. Mohammad Siraj also joined the squad for this match. The Indian lineup features Rohit Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer at the top, with Ishan Kishan, Naman Dhir, and Axar Patel following in the middle order.