What

The fifth and final ODI of the series between India and England

When

January 27, 2013, Sunday

Where

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, Dharamsala. This scenic stadium built at the foothills of Himalayas will make its ODI debut with this match.

The Teams

India

After a streak of heartbreaking defeats, India have finally been able to kick the bad habit by bagging the England ODI series with a game to spare. While it was the bowlers that delivered the first two wins, the out-of-form batsmen made a good comeback to chase down 257 in the England-like conditions of Mohali.

Asking Rohit Sharma to open the innings did wonders for the out-of-form batter and India’s struggling top order. With both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir out of form, MS Dhoni might be tempted to see Rohit as a long-term prospect atop the batting order. If Rohit picks up where he left at Mohali, it will take the pressure off Gambhir, thus allowing him more time to settle down before going for his shots.

Having shouldered the responsibility with great maturity and skill so far, the young bowling attack will be keen to finish off with a flourish. After all, a scoreline of 4-1 looks much more attractive than 3-2.

England

With three back-to-back thumping losses, the win in Rajkot (in the first ODI) may seem like a distant memory to the visitors. After two dismal performances, the batting did click as a unit in Mohali, but the effort wasn’t enough against the Indian line-up that is gradually returning to form.

While England’s batting woes stem from the general lack of partnerships, the form of Ian Bell is a worrying factor in particular. For England to post a big score, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen must look to bat out 30 overs and Joe Root needs to bat at No.4.

With the arrival of Stuart Broad, the expensive and ineffective Jade Dernbach is likely to sit out. Broad’s inclusion will not only add solidity to the bowling, but also some impetus to the lower-order batting.

Key players

India

It’s not often that the batsmen the opposition most fear in your team bat at No.5 and 6. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have been the most consistent run-getters for India in the limited-overs format in the recent past. Often they have been left to either rebuild a tattering innings for a decent team total or to steady a sinking chase after a top-order collapse. The duo’s contribution will continue to be crucial to India’s ODI fortunes.

England

Even as the team is largely struggling, Joe Root has emerged as a silver-lining in the dark cloud hovering over England’s limited-overs form. The 22-year-old batsman oozes confidence and calmness that complements his talent. His unbeaten 57 in Mohali was a testament to that. Coming in to pressure situation, Root scored at a strike-rate of 126.66 when his more experienced batting colleagues were troubled by swing and seam. If given a few more overs to bat (which ideally he should be) Root has the ability to change the course of the game.

Trivia

- Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala will become the 43rd Indian ground to host a one-day international. At an altitude of 1317 metres above sea level, it is one of the highest altitude ground.

- Ravindra Jadeja is just 11 short of completing 1000 ODI runs. He also stands to complete the all-round double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets. Among Indians, only Kapil Dev (46) and Ravi Shastri (56) have reached this mark in fewer matches than Jadeja – who will be playing his 65th ODI at Dharmasala.

Stats

Head-to-head:

Form guide (most recent listed first):

India: Won, Won, Won, Lost, Won (4 wins, 1 loss)

England: Lost, Lost, Lost, Won, Lost (1 win, 4 losses)

The Squads

India: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami Ahmed, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Samit Patel