India vs England 5th ODI: Match Preview

Dhoni and men embark on mission whitewash and hapless England look to save face

There won’t be a more explicit illustration of conditions affecting the performance of teams than what we have witnessed in these few months. India went to England and came back empty handed and now, England is at the receiving end. With the series safe in the bank for India at 4-0, India would like to accomplish a clean-sweep. England would like to salvage some pride by winning the final ODI at Kolkata on Tuesday, the 25^th of October.

When the series began, it was well acknowledged that England would not have it as easy in the Indian conditions as they did in their own backyard. Also, not many would have thought that this young Indian side would be eyeing a whitewash come the fifth ODI at Kolkata. Its been four defeats of England and they have failed to learn from their mistakes. England’s two best players of spin are not in the side. Unfortunately, England lost Eoin Morgan to an injury before embarking on their journey to India. But I have still not been able to come to grips with seeing Ian Bell carrying the drinks to the players. English batsmen have just not been able to string enough partnerships in order to post challenging totals on a consistent basis. England can make a place for him at number five in the batting order in place of Johnny Bairstow, who has had a very quite series. Meanwhile, the bowling continues to struggle on unresponsive pitches. It would be interesting to see if England brings back Swann for the 5^th ODI or makes radical changes not only in the line-up, but more so in their approach, that has been quite meek so far.

India on the other hand has been dominant in the series in all departments. It was not at all a surprise to see the batsmen performing the way they have done. Barring Parthiv Patel, all batsmen have done well. Though some might say that Manoj Tiwary should get the nod ahead of Patel in Kolkata, M.S. Dhoni might not be keen on tinkering with the winning combination. As far as the bowling is concerned, it has been a revelation. Umesh Yadav impressed, but his injury paved the way for Varun Aaron. Varun warmed the bench in England and finally got a break in the last game at Mumbai. He scalped three wickets and impressed with his pace and aggression, much like Yadav. Kolkata would be another superb opportunity for the Jharkhand lad to showcase his talent.

The Eden Garden will be buzzing with crowd activity who will cheer the home team on for a whitewash

The series hasn’t seen jam-packed stadiums so far at most venues. Kolkata might be different. The Eden Gardens, besides a large and passionate crowd, would provide a slow track which would assist the spinners quite a bit. Being close to the sea there might be some help for the seamers in the evening. It would be interesting to see if England continues its tactics of ‘sledging’ or it does something more substantial to make it 1-4. M.S. Dhoni and his boys would leave no stone unturned to complete a clean sweep. Who would be more joyous at the ‘City of Joy’? Only time would tell.

Match Starts: 14:30 hrs (IST)

Temperature: 31 C – 22 C and a clear sky.