India won the toss and elected to field first in the fifth and final T20I against England at The Rose Bowl on Saturday after the toss was delayed due to the visitors arriving late at the venue because of heavy traffic.
With England already holding an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, the opening T20I having been washed out, the final fixture offers the hosts a chance to complete a commanding 4-0 series victory. A win would also see Harry Brook’s side move to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I rankings.
The visitors made two changes to their XI, bringing in Sanju Samson for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge in place of Washington Sundar.
India, meanwhile, will be playing for pride. Led by Shreyas Iyer, the visitors have endured a disappointing campaign and are staring at the prospect of their first whitewash in a bilateral T20I series.
Despite the results, there have been encouraging performances from captain Iyer with the bat and young pacer Prince Yadav, but India will need a collective effort if they are to finish the tour’s T20I leg on a positive note.
The visitors will also be keen to build some momentum ahead of the three-match ODI series, which begins in Birmingham on July 14.
Captains take at toss
INDIA CAPTAIN SHREYAS IYER:
“We’re going to bowl first. The wicket won’t change much, and we’ve seen everything in this series, so we’re up for the challenge. What I want from the players is a solid mindset , no sulking, just staying in the moment and not thinking about what’s already happened. We’ve made two changes due to injuries: Shedge comes in for Washington, and Sanju replaces Sooryavanshi. It’s about adapting quickly, keeping focus, and executing our plans with clarity.”
ENGLAND CAPTAIN HARRY BROOK:
“We would have batted anyway. Happy with how things have gone so far. If we win today we go to the No.1 Spot. Happy for Adil he is playing his 150th game and he has been around for us and has been delivering, very happy for him
Playing XIs
England: Harry Brook (capt), Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
India: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.