England target a series-clinching victory and the top spot in the ICC T20I rankings as India look to avoid a whitewash in Southampton.
SOUTHAMPTON: India will be aiming to salvage some pride when they take on England in the fifth and final Twenty20 International at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, with the visitors looking to avoid a series whitewash after already conceding the contest.
England have secured an unassailable lead in the five-match series after winning three matches, while one fixture was abandoned due to rain. The hosts now have an added incentive, as victory in the series finale would see them overtake India to claim the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings.
England dominate series
England have outclassed India with an aggressive all-round display, particularly in the last two matches, becoming the first England side to win a multi-match bilateral T20I series against India.
The home side’s pace attack has been instrumental in their success. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue have consistently troubled India’s batters with pace and bounce, while Sam Curran has impressed with his variations and Will Jacks has kept the scoring rate in check with economical spells.
With the series already secured and Archer and Tongue expected to feature prominently in the forthcoming One-Day International series, England could opt to rotate their fast bowlers by bringing Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood into the playing XI.
Batting depth boosts England
Although captain Jos Buttler has endured a relatively quiet series with the bat, England’s batting unit has delivered consistently.
Phil Salt has returned to form with back-to-back half-centuries after recovering from injury, while Harry Brook has produced a string of explosive innings to keep India under sustained pressure throughout the series.
India seek improved performance
India, meanwhile, have endured a disappointing tour, suffering successive bilateral T20I series defeats following their earlier loss to Ireland.
The manner of the defeats has been particularly concerning. India were bowled out for just 76 in Nottingham before failing to defend 159 in Bristol, where England completed the chase inside 14 overs.
The visitors’ top-order struggles have been a recurring problem, with India losing at least two wickets during the Powerplay in every match of the UK tour. Frequent changes to the batting order have failed to deliver the desired results, although Shreyas Iyer has emerged as one of the few consistent performers.
Sanju Samson could return to the side in an effort to strengthen the batting line-up.
Injury concerns mount
India’s bowling resources have also been depleted after Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy were ruled out of the remainder of the series through injury.
Prasidh Krishna has struggled to replicate his Indian Premier League form at international level, while Washington Sundar has largely been utilised as a batting all-rounder. Ravi Bishnoi also endured a difficult outing in the previous match.
High-scoring finale expected
Recent form highlights the contrasting fortunes of the two teams. England have won four of their last five completed T20 Internationals, while India enter the contest on a five-match losing streak.
The Hampshire Bowl is expected to produce another batting-friendly contest. The previous T20I at the venue saw England score 248 against the West Indies in a match that yielded 459 runs, while the ground has also witnessed several high-scoring One-Day Internationals.
England will be looking to complete a dominant series triumph and secure the world’s No. 1 T20I ranking, while India will be desperate to finish the tour on a positive note before attention turns to the ODI series.