Preview: India vs Pakistan – 3rd ODI

First Published : 05 Jan 2013, 14:21
Last Modified : 05 Jan 2013, 19:12

By: Shirin Sadikot in Delhi

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What

The third and last ODI of the series between India and Pakistan

When

January 6, 2013

Where

Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi

The Teams

India have already lost the series and their morale will be understandably low. This match will be a test of their character and also a chance for some of the non-performers to prove that they’re good enough to play England in the next ODI series. While it’s the Indian bowlers who often take the flak for the team’s defeats, this time the batsmen should be deemed responsible for surrendering India’s first home ODI series since 2009. MS Dhoni’s dilemma of whether to go with an extra bowler will remain and even strengthen with the new rules if the top six batsmen and the fifth part-time bowler don’t perform well. If India are to face a strong England side with a confident mindset, it will have to start with their batsmen getting runs under their belt.

Pakistan have done most things right this series. Their bowlers have struck with the new ball, contained runs in the middle overs and the batsmen have worked as a team to back the bowlers up. Pakistan have been the superior team on all counts and winning the series with a match to spare is their just reward. The most heartening thing for the visitors is how their youngsters have fared. Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan – all have impressed on their first trip to India.

Key Players

MS Dhoni was the valiant fighter for India in both the matches. However, his resilience has gone to waste due to lack of support from other batsmen. The Indian captain might consider promoting himself up the order given that the team’s best batsman must face most number of overs. Among bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashoke Dinda might have shown flashes of brilliance here and there, but Ishant Sharma has been India’s best bowler in terms of consistency and discipline. The Delhi boy will be expected to carry on in the same vein on his home ground.

Nasir Jamshed has played four ODIs against India and has three centuries in them, two of which have come in this series. If India want to entertain any chances of a consolation win in Delhi, they have to get rid of this burly 23-year-old opener as early as possible. In the bowling department, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan will hold the key with their very different styles and approach to bowling.

Trivia

· Since winning 2011 World Cup, MS Dhoni has been averaging a mindboggling 93.27 in one-day internationals.

· The last time a team beat India in all matches of a bilateral series on home soil (comprising 3 matches or more) was in 1983-84 when West Indies blanked India 5-0. In 1984-85, Australia beat India 3-0 in a five-match series, with 2 matches getting abandoned.

Stats

Venue Stats

Average first innings score at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi: 

Overall - 242

Since 2000 – 242

Average second innings score at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi: 

Overall - 213

Since 2000 – 197

Result summary at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium:

Team stats

Head-to-head:

Last meeting between both sides at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium:

Brief scores: Pakistan (303-8) beat India (144) by 159 runs on April 17, 2005

Form guide (most recent listed first):

India: Lost, Lost, Won, Won, Won (3 wins, 2 losses)

Pakistan: Won, Won, Lost, Won, Lost (3 wins, 2 losses)

The Squads

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

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Anwar Ali, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Zulfiqar Babar