Mumbai, Feb 2 (UNI) England won the toss and opted to field first in the fifth and final T20I against India at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.
India, having already secured the series with a 3-1 lead, will be aiming to finish on a high, while England seek a consolation victory ahead of the ODIs.
India made one change to their playing XI, bringing in seasoned pacer Mohammed Shami in place of Arshdeep Singh.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav expressed confidence in his side’s decision to bat first, stating that the wicket looked good and dew was not expected to play a major role.
"We wanted to bat first, looks a good wicket. I am hoping there won't be much dew. It's going to be a full-packed stadium tonight. We want the boys taking that responsibility, that's what we demand and that's what they are doing. You will fail sometimes, especially when you play that high risk, high reward game," he said.
England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged that his team had played well in phases but needed to capitalise on key moments.
"We played some good cricket in patches. We should have executed it better though. Need to grab the special moments in the game. There's a good vibe in the team, it's a good venue and it's a great crowd. It's a good wicket, Mark Wood comes back in. Both teams are high-octane," Buttler said.
The pitch report by former England cricketer Nick Knight suggested a high-scoring contest, given the short boundaries—64m and 63m square, with 71m down the ground. The surface is made of red soil, featuring a few cracks but little grass in the full-length area. Some grass cover around the good length region may offer assistance to the pacers early on.
With India’s middle-order firing on all cylinders, all eyes will be on wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, who has struggled for form in the series. His battle against England pacer Jofra Archer will be an intriguing contest to watch.
England, on the other hand, will look to put on an improved batting display after a series of underwhelming performances. Both teams have also named their four impact substitutes for the game.
Playing XIs:
India: Sanju Samson (w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.
England: Philip Salt (w), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
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