What

The fifth and final ODI between an Indian team looking to maintain their winning momentum and a Kiwi side that have one last opportunity to register a win on this tour.

When

December 10, 2010. The game begins at 2:30 pm, IST.

Where

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

The Teams:

New Zealand by far had their best chance of winning a match in the last ODI, before Yusuf Pathan played a blinder for India. And this has been the problem for the Kiwis right through the series, that their bowlers have struggled to take wickets. They look a competitive side when their batsmen, like in the last ODI, play well together to put up a good score. But with the bowlers, particularly the seamers, unable to get the right line and length for Indian conditions, any total looks hard to defend.

If India has had one problem right through the series, it has been their magnanimity in giving away runs towards the end of the innings. At Jaipur, in the second ODI, they gave away 121 runs in the last 16 overs, while in the next match at Vadodara they conceded 47 in 5 overs. Bengaluru was worse, with 63 runs coming between over numbers 46 and 50. If anything, India needs to improve in this area in what has otherwise been a superb exhibition of cricket by them.

Finally, Chennai has witnessed relentless rain in the last few days, raising concerns over the readiness of the venue in hosting the match. But with the introduction of a cutting edge drainage system, the administrators are confident of hosting a match, barring the occurrence of rain in the duration of the match.

The venue (quick facts):

First ODI: 1987

ODIs hosted: 13

India record: Wins - 2 – Losses – 3 – NR - 1

New Zealand record: Wins- 0 – Losses – 1 – NR - 1

Highest Total: Asia XI 337/7 v Africa XI – June 9, 2007

Lowest Total: Zimbabwe 139 all out (42.4 overs) v Australia – October 13, 1987

Highest score: Saeed Anwar – 194 (Pakistan) v India - May 21, 1997

Best bowling figures in an innings: Aaquib Javed (Pakistan) – 10-0-61-5 v India – May 21, 1997

The Teams (probable playing XIs):

India: Gautam Gambhir (c), Parthiv Patel (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Saurabh Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (c), Brendon McCullum (wk), Jamie How, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Tim Southee, Nathan McCullum, Andy McMay, Kyle Mills, and James Franklin.