Former India cricketer and noted commentator Aakash Chopra has openly backed Shreyas Iyer after the Mumbai batter was left out of the playing XI for the fourth T20I between India and New Zealand in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Chopra questioned the rationale behind the team management’s selection choices, suggesting that excluding a proven batter like Iyer was unnecessary. He stressed that Iyer’s presence in the middle order would have added stability and experience, and including him would not have disrupted the team’s balance in any way.

Chopra further highlighted that India effectively went into the match with one batter short, which could have been avoided with Iyer’s inclusion. He felt that such decisions place undue pressure on the rest of the batting lineup, especially in a high-intensity T20 contest. According to Chopra, players like Iyer, who have consistently performed in pressure situations, deserve clearer communication regarding their roles. His comments sparked discussion around selection consistency and the importance of backing established performers in the shortest format.

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"Playing Shreyas Iyer wouldn’t have harmed anyone…instead going in a batter short. Also, batting first to challenge the bowlers in the second innings (dew expected) wouldn’t have been a bad idea either… #IndvNZ," Aakash Chopra's tweet read. 

Playing Shreyas Iyer wouldn’t have harmed anyone…instead going in a batter short. Also, batting first to challenge the bowlers in the second innings (dew expected) wouldn’t have been a bad idea either… #IndvNZ

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 28, 2026

New Zealand beat India by 50 runs in 4th T20I

After Tilak Varma was forced to withdraw from the India vs. New Zealand T20I series due to injury, Shreyas Iyer was brought in as an alternate. Unfortunately, he is still waiting for an opportunity; his chances seem slim for the final T20I of the series at Trivandrum. Sports broadcaster Aakash Chopra opined about the team's composition, saying that India made an error in judgment when they chose to bowl first; had they batted first, they would have placed pressure on the NZ bowlers, especially due to the dew factor being the significant decider later in the match.

New Zealand exploited the conditions by scoring 215 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs after being inserted to bat by India. Tim Seifert led all scorers with 62 runs from 36 balls; Devon Conway contributed 44 runs to the score off 23 balls; Daryl Mitchell added 39 not out off 18 balls. As a result, India was all out for 165 runs in 18.4 overs (despite the best efforts of Shivam Dube, who scored an impressive 65 runs in 23 balls); this gave New Zealand their second consecutive T20I win over India (by 50 runs). Mitchell Santner led New Zealand's bowling attack with figures of 3 wickets for 26 runs.