India vs England 2021, 5th T20I – Preview: World No. 1 & 2 Face-Off In Series Decider

Table of Contents

Pitch report
Playing Combination
Telecast and live streaming details

India and England are set to face each other in the final T20I of the five-match series at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium on Saturday (March 20).

The fifth T20I is going to be crucial for both sides as the series is currently poised at 2-2. The battle between the top two T20I teams had been phenomenal. England began the five-match leg with a win, and then India bounced back in the second game. A similar story was portrayed in the next two fixtures, with both teams winning one game each.

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli’s men as they focus on sealing the series after clinching the Test leg 3-1. The hosts have been unbeaten in the shortest format since 2019. They have won five consecutive series and must be looking to claim their sixth.

On the other hand, England are on an 8-series winning streak. Further, they haven’t lost their last five series away from home. However, England have been unable to beat India in a T20I series since 2014.

Pitch report:

The surface had its impact in the past matches where the teams chasing were in advantage. But in the last game, India, despite losing the toss, successfully defended the total. The dew also played its part in the previous fixture, which is expected to impact the series-decider as well.

Playing Combination:

India

Traditionally, Kohli is not known for changing the winning combination, but this series hasn’t been like that. India are trying out new mixtures in order to find a suitable combination for the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place later this year. If Ishan Kishan gets fit, he may come in for out of form KL Rahul. Similarly, Rahul Tewatia might also make his debut and replace Washington Sundar.

IND XI: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul/Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Washington Sundar/Rahul Tewatia.

England

England might also look to strengthen their spin department by bringing Moeen Ali in Sam Curran’s place.

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