LIVE IND vs NZ 5th ODI: India beat New Zealand by 35 runs to make it 4-1

India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been declared fit and is set to return for the fifth and the final ODI at Wellington on Sunday

India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been declared fit and is set to return for the fifth and the final ODI at Wellington on Sunday. The wicketkeeper-batsman wasn't named in the playing XI in the third and the fourth ODI after he sustained a hamstring injury while batting during the second One Day International against New Zealand.

In his absence, Dinesh Karthik was picked in the playing XI to keep wickets. The 33-year-old played a match-winning knock in the second ODI. There are chances that the world cup winning captain will be replacing youngster Shubman Gill in the playing XI for the final clash against the Kiwis. Skipper Virat Kohli's absence opened doors for 19-year-old but he could only muster nine runs off 21 deliveries during his stint at the fourth ODI.

Earlier, there were reports that Dhoni was fit-again for the fourth ODI at Hamilton as he was seen batting in the nets without any real sign of discomfort. The 37-year-old had missed three ODIs in 2013 because of a hamstring injury.

In what came as a big blow for New Zealand, star player Martin Guptill is a doubt for the fifth and final One-Day International against India in Wellington after aggravating his lower back while fielding practice on Saturday. As Guptill struggled to overcome the pain, he was assessed by team physio Vijay Vallabh and was taken off the ground by the support staff.

The 32-year-old will be reassessed on Sunday morning before the final game. As a result, Colin Munro, will rejoin the ODI squad If Guptill sits out at Wellington.

Both Guptill and his back up Munro have struggled for form and haven’t been able to perform with the bat. In the three played by Munro, he has scored 7, 31 and 8, while Guptill has aggregated just 47 runs in four innings thus far.