IND vs ENG | 5th T20I Preview: Mind already on World T20, sides eyeing important series win

After England started the T20 series on a dominating note and continued on their merry way to put India on the brink. The hosts bounced back superbly in the fourth game of the series with a clinical performance to set up a decider with little to separate between the teams.

The series has been played with both team managements setting their eyes on the World T20 and preferring a strong preparation going into the premier tournament.

After the last game, England skipper Eoin Morgan welcomed the prospect of playing in high-pressure situations that a series decider between two such teams should offer, in order to have his players accustomed to playing when under the pump.

England bowlers have been at the top of their game throughout the series, and even in the last game where India took the game away from them, they were in it for a considerable amount of time to have the hosts in the lurch. 

In the second T20I, they were not helped by the batsmen who could not rise to the challenges presented by Indian bowlers and ultimately were caught surprised by the belligerence of Ishan Kishan while defending an under-par total. 

Mark Wood has bowled with absolute heat and menace with the new ball to keep the Indian batsmen on the back foot while Archer’s ability to surprise with an awkward bounce from short of length deliveries have only made things difficult for the hosts.

England had started the series with a far stronger batting unit with all players having clarity over the roles they were supposed to play than the bowling department. There were question marks over bowlers backing the aggressive batting line up, and deep into the series, they have come a long way and on the contrary, some cracks have started to appear in the batting unit.

Dawid Malan has batted with a cluttered mindset and has put pressure on the batsmen batting either side of him. Thankfully for England, at least two batsmen around him among Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy have put their hands up to not allow India a major chance.

Him eating up too many deliveries, and the likes of Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes slotting down the order at number four and five must have opened some sense of doubt about England’s number three who had come into this series as the number one T20 batsmen.

For India, the series has been a mixed bag so far with newer players emerging to showcase their brilliance and fresh energy they can offer, while the seniors have not quite conquered their demons yet.

Rohit Sharma is yet to hit the ground running in the last two games, while KL Rahul, who is enjoying an extended rope at the top of the order has been disappointing, to say the least.  Rahul has looked horribly out of rhythm and may well find himself warming the bench in the last game of the series. However, he will be assured in his mind that the team is not willing to give up on him as of yet, although for the short-term goal of winning the series, he could be axed for an in-form Ishan Kishan.

Rohit decided to walk away from his usual method of finding his feet at the crease before dancing down on his feet to get the scoreboard going, but did not last long enough to leave a sizeable impact.

Virat Kohli has walked the talk on batting with a fearless approach in this series, irrespective of the results. In the third T20 his case was made difficult due to the regular fall of wickets from the other end, while in the last game, his eagerness to take on Rashid proved detrimental to India’s fortunes. However, the intent was there and hence Kohli should not be too disappointed with the way that he departed.

Suryakumar Yadav announced his arrival on the big stage with a big six off Archer and set the tone for India’s dominance while wickets kept on falling from the other end. India should look to carry on from the template set by Yadav in the last game.

In the bowling department, an off-colour Yuzvendra Chahal was replaced by an enterprising Rahul Chahar in the last game, and he ensured to deserve another look in for the series decider for the accuracy he offered to Kohli. Washington Sundar got a real hammering from Roy and Bairstow in the last game and his exclusion can’t be ruled out for Axar Patel who can also bring another dimension to the batting department in the late middle order.

India vs England: Match Details

Match No.-05

Date and Time: March 20, 07:00 PM IST, 01:30 PM IST

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad

Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports, Hotstar

Pitch conditions

India proved their mettle with the ball in the last game, but still, there is enough evidence available to suggest the team batting first will have a competitive advantage over the team batting second.

India will take heart from their masterful bowling performance in the last game where pacers stuck to the task of bowling cutters which gripped on the surface. India's bowling attack would back themselves to come good once again in the big finale of the series.

England would bank on the combination of Wood-Archer to rattle India while Rashid will be tasked to account for the right-handers slotted in the batting order.

Either side will know the competitive advantages of batting second in the final game, but as the series is a build-up for the preparation of the T20 World Cup, they will be keen to defend a total in the remaining two games.

Team News

India

Ishan Kishan missed the last game due to a niggle and it would be a difficult call on preferring one among him and KL Rahul, who looks far away from his best for the final game of the series. Rahul has the backing of the team management, but his form will be a big concern for the team management against an exuberant Ishan Kishan who has all the flamboyance they are desperately in need of.

Rahul Chahar should retain his place in the playing XI over Yuzvendra Chahal whose bowling must be under the scanner after the barren wicket column and surging economy rate. 

Hardik Pandya has started bowling four overs with immense control over his pace or rather the lack of it in the last two games, and it helps India in playing only five bowlers and stacking up the batting order with one extra batsman. The move is likely to be extended as India are desperate to win the series.

Strongest XI

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar/Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Chahar

England

Eoin Morgan might be tempted to bring Moeen Ali in place of Dawid Malan in order to bring more balance to the Playing XI as the number three has bee faltering in the series.

There are hardly any signs of changes in the team from the English camp and Indian batsmen will have to be at their toes to attack the trio of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid. However, Tom Curran might get a way into the team in place of Chris Jordan who has been taken to the cleaners by the Indian batsmen.

Strongest XI

Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan/Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan