India vs England 5th T20I: Pitch report and weather forecast
What's the story
The fifth and final T20I match between India and England will be played at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium. The match will start at 7:00pm IST on February 2. Having taken a 3-1 lead in the series, Team India is well-placed ahead of the final game. Here we look at the pitch and weather report of the fifth and final game.
Pitch analysis
Wankhede's pitch favors chasing teams
The pitch at Wankhede Stadium is known to favor teams that chase. In night T20 matches in the last four years, the team batting second has won 23 out of 38 games. As per ESPNcricinfo, the average run rate in the second inning (9.0) is slightly higher than that in the first (8.7). Recent scores suggest a high-scoring match with five of the last 10 games witnessing scores over 200.
Weather forecast
Ideal weather conditions expected for the match
The weather conditions for the match are expected to be ideal with no rain interruptions anticipated. The temperature is likely to hover around 26-27 degrees Celsius during the game. However, dew could play a significant role in the second innings, potentially influencing teams' decision to chase after winning the toss.
Match outlook
Probable team changes for final T20I
Shivam Dube's concussion could keep him out of the fifth T20I, possibly paving way for Ramandeep Singh or Harshit Rana. Mohammed Shami could also return, taking Arshdeep Singh's place. For England, fast bowler Saqib Mahmood is likely to keep his place after a brilliant series debut. The team may rest Archer, who has played all four T20Is so far, and bring back Gus Atkinson.
Team line-ups
Here are the probable XIs
India (probable XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh/Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh/Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy. England (probable XI): Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (captain), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith/Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer/Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid/Rehan Ahmed. .