3 experts who slammed India’s bowling performance in 4th NZ vs IND 2026 T20I

Team India suffered a whopping 87-run defeat against New Zealand at the Eden Park in Auckland in the fourth T20I of the five-match series. Sent into bat, the Black Caps put up 259-7 on the board in their 20 overs and then held the Men in Blue for 172-9.

Glenn Phillips was the star of the show for New Zealand with the bat, clobbering 107 off just 49 balls. His knock featured six fours and 10 sixes. In the chase, India failed to get going as they lost two wickets in the first over. Pacer Jacob Duffy starred for the Black Caps with the ball, claiming 4-23 in his four overs.

A number of former cricketers lashed out at India‘s poor bowling performance in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Auckland. In this feature, we look at three such expert reactions.

#1 Irfan Pathan

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan opined that India’s bowlers bowled the wrong lengths in the Auckland T20I and paid the price for the same. He also credited New Zealand‘s batters for taking full advantage of the home conditions and the dimensions. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:

“The Indian bowlers were bowling fuller lengths, which did not suit the conditions on this pitch, and they were punished for it. The straight boundary is very short. The Indian bowlers failed to adjust their lengths according to the ground dimensions. When they tried to bowl short, the New Zealand batters, who are very familiar with playing at this venue, were ready for it. So, they started with lengths that were too full and couldn’t recover thereafter.

“Overall, New Zealand’s ability to make the most of the ground dimensions, backed by their familiarity with playing at this venue in their home conditions, gave them an edge over the Indian team. Apart from that, the New Zealand batters had a very clear mindset. Even after losing wickets, they continued to play big shots and refused to slow down. They knew that even if they gave India a target of 200 runs, the Indian team could chase it down. Their aggressive approach was also quite impressive,” he added.

Mayank Yadav was the only Indian bowler who made some sort of an impact in Auckland. He registered figures of 3-48 in four overs, dismissing Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Bevon Jacobs.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ambati Rayudu criticized India’s team selection for the fourth T20I in Auckland. He opined that the Men in Blue needed someone like Kuldeep Yadav, who could have bowled slower and forced the batters to hit the ball to the longer boundaries. During a discussion on Cricbuzz, he commented:

“Axar Patel and Naman Dhir bowl fast. But when you want batters to hit to the square boundaries because of the short straight boundary, you have to slow it up. That is where India could have used Kuldeep in this game to slow things up and force the batters to hit to the longer square boundaries.”

“The Indian bowlers rely on the fuller deliveries. So when your strength is bowling full, and the boundary size is small, you know if you miss, it’s going to go big. The strengths of Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Nitish Kumar Reddy are bowling full. And in this ground, that’s what has been reflected in the final score.”

While Arshdeep went for 38 runs in his four overs, Prince conceded 49 and Reddy 64. Axar bowled three overs for 43 runs. Dhir conceded 16 runs in one over.

#3 Mohammad Kaif

Former batter Mohammad Kaif slammed India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel following the visitors’ heavy defeat to New Zealand in Auckland. Kaif also questioned skipper Shreyas Iyer’s bowling changes, claiming that he has been making the same kind of mistakes repeatedly. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said:

“I want to ask Morne Morkel what is going on. It is the responsibility of the bowling coach to answer. The bowling coach and captain are responsible. Shreyas Iyer also needs to learn things. Nitish is not your complete bowler. When the last five overs are left, Arshdeep only has one over remaining. Bhuvneshwar has only one left. You cannot give the 20th over to Nitish. You need to find ways to bowl him in the middle. He is your fifth or sixth bowler, not a wicket-taking bowler.”

Having lost the fourth match, India will look to finish the T20I series on a high when they face New Zealand in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert