India vs England - 5th T20I - Preview

After seven one sided games (including the 4 Tests), the fans finally witnessed a nail biter between India and England. Considering what transpired in the previous matches of the series, England would have been very happy to win the toss and chase. However, India showed amazing display of their skills and emerged victorious by 8 runs. 

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The series is tied at 2-2 and the decider will be played on Saturday. Both India and England have few issues to sort out before the final. India will be worried about the form of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. Both have looked completely out of touch in the series. A good opening stand is what India need and with Rahul not performing, India hasn’t quite got the start they would have liked. They were slightly better in the 4th T20 and managed 45 runs in the powerplay, thanks to a blazing knock by Suryakumar Yadav, but that’s where they’ve fallen behind England in the series. Also, with Pandya not hitting those lusty blows, India’s finish hasn't been up to the mark. As a result, they’ve been short of few runs. If India can work on these two concerns, they’ll have a great total on the board. Ishan Kishan missed out in the last game due to a niggle and it will be interesting to see If India brings him back in place of Rahul or persist with the same XI.

Talking about England’s concern, they go into the final with an untested middle order. Morgan and Stokes haven’t got a lot of opportunities to bat. And in the two matches England needed them to step up, they have failed to do so. Yes, Stokes played a good hand in the 4th T20I but England needed him to finish the game, which he couldn't. Morgan has also looked scratchy in the two innings he’s batted. England would also like Jason Roy to convert his start into big scores. He’s got runs in every game but hasn’t hit a single 50 and he’ll be disappointed with that. They'd also love to see some runs from Dawid Malan.

Overall, both teams are evenly matched on paper but there are few areas they need to work on. The team that overcomes their concerns, will be ahead in the game.