Preview: India v England - 5th ODI

First Published : 24 Oct 2011, 16:26
Last Modified : 25 Oct 2011, 10:56

By: Akshay Manwani

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What

The fifth and final One-Day International of the five-match series between India and England

When

October 25, 2011. The game begins at 14:30 pm, IST. The match is a day-night affair and will be streamed LIVE for viewers across the world on www.bcci.tv. Viewers in India can catch the action with a five-minute delay.

Where

Eden Gardens, Kolkata. India return to this venue having last played an ODI here in December 2009. Historically, the Eden Gardens is to India what Lord’s is to England. The fans here are amongst the most passionate followers of the game, giving the home side a distinct advantage before the start of any match. England, who have never won an ODI match at this venue, will look to avoid a series whitewash against this backdrop.

The teams

India’s biggest takeaway from the win in Mumbai was the arrival of young Varun Aaron. The Jharkhand lad surprised the England batsmen, including the likes of Kevin Pietersen, with his pace. His inclusion in the side in place of the injured Umesh Yadav gives India a chance to increase their bench strength once the missing players have recovered and are back in the reckoning. Also, with MS Dhoni looking to complete a series sweep, it is unlikely that the hosts will give their other reserves (Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma, Sreenath Aravind) a chance in the final ODI.

England appear to be doing nothing right. Their batsmen are unable to convert their starts into bigger scores. Their bowling, too, has looked one-dimensional with the pacers unable to extract seam movement in Indian conditions. Barring Steven Finn, who has looked sharp and nippy for the most part, the bowlers have struggled to give the side breakthroughs. Also, with Alastair Cook’ decision to bat first after winning the toss in the last three ODIs not yielding the desired result, perhaps a change of strategy is in order.

Trivia

• The Indian spinners have taken 14 wickets in this series at an average of 24.50 and an economy-rate of 4.75 (runs per over). The England spinners have managed only three wickets between them at an average of 114.33 and economy of 5.79.

• India have registered a 5-0 win in a bilateral series on two occasions – v England in 2008-09 and v New Zealand in 2010-11.

Venue Stats

India – played - 16, won - 9, lost – 6, tied – 0, no result – 1

England – played - 2, won – 0, lost – 2, tied – 0, no result – 0

Highest total in an innings: India 317/3 in 48.1 overs v Sri Lanka – December 24, 2009

Lowest total in an innings: West Indies 123 all out in 40.1 overs v India – November 27, 1993

Best individual score in an innings: Gautam Gambhir (India) – 150* v Sri Lanka – December 24, 2009

Best bowling figures in an innings: Anil Kumble (India) 6.1-2-12-6 v West Indies - November 27, 1993

Average first innings score at Eden Gardens, Kolkata:

In D/N matches: 248* (in 13 matches)

In all matches: 248* (in 24 matches)

In last five D/N matches: 260*

*excluding the abandoned game between India and Sri Lanka in 2007

Result summary at Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Head-to-head

Last meeting at Eden Gardens between India and England: Jan 19, 2002

Brief scores: India 281/8 (50 overs) beat England 259 (44 overs) by 22 runs

Form guide (most recent listed first)

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

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

The Squads

India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), R Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Varun Aaron, RA Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Sreenath Aravind, Rahul Sharma & Abhimanyu Mithun

England: Alastair Cook (c), Jonathan Bairstow, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Scott Borthwick, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Graham Onions

 All stats are as on October 24, 2011