Sports Mole previews the fifth and final 2025 T20 match between India and England, scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
The fifth and final match in the T20I series between India and England will come to us from the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon.
This is a dead-rubber contest as India have already secured the series, currently 3-1 up after beating their opponents by 15 runs in Pune on Friday.
Match preview
© Imago
A thrilling final-match encounter looked to be on the cards when India were sent in to bat after losing their first toss in the series and were stunned by a triple-wicket maiden by Saqib Mahmood in the second over.
However, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube came to the rescue of the Men in Blue, scoring 53 runs apiece to set their opponents an imposing 182-run target, which proved to be enough to earn them yet another series win in the shortest format.
The victory was certainly not without controversy though – after Dube got hit on the helmet during his knock, Harshit Rana was brought in for his T20I debut as a concussion replacement and made a huge impact with the ball, picking up 3/33 in his four-over allotment.
Given Rana has a far more significant bowling threat than Dube, the substitution sparked debate, with England skipper Jos Buttler claiming in his post-match press conference that his team felt, “It was not a like-for-like replacement.”
Still, India were probably worthy winners, as they navigated the second innings very well, with Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel strangling the Three Lions’ middle order at a crucial point in the match, while Varun Chakravarthy produced another tidy spell of 2/28 to help bowl their opponents out for 166 in the final over.
© Imago
England could not have asked for a better start in Pune, with Mahmood, who came in for Mark Wood, making an immediate impact, knocking over India’s top order of Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, in his first over of the tour.
However, all that changed when Pandya strolled to the crease at 79/5 and teamed up with Dube for an 87-run partnership that set the T20I world champions up for what turned out to be the highest first-inning total of the series so far.
In reply, Ben Duckett and Phil Salt notched up a 62-run stand for the opening wicket, while Harry Brook added 51 of just 26 balls, but the team once again struggled against spin bowling.
So far in this series, the Three Lions have lost 24 of their 38 wickets to spinners, highlighting their ongoing difficulties, while raising concerns about Brendon McCullum‘s tactics and decision-making under pressure, especially on turning pitches.
England’s difficulties against spin are not confined to white-ball cricket, though, as we also saw them battle to cope with Pakistan’s spin duo of Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali in their 2-1 Test series loss last year.
Team News
© Imago
With the pressure off and the series in the bag, India will be hoping that struggling skipper Yadav and Samson are able to rediscover their form in Mumbai, with the pair having only contributed 26 and 35 runs respectively in the four matches so far.
After an impressive performance with the ball in the last match, Rana may be given a starting spot in this one, while India bowling coach Morne Morkel hinted that Mohammed Shami could be brought back into the team as well.
Mahmood will likely retain his spot following his impressive opening spell in game four, while Buttler and McCullum may consider giving young Rehan Ahmed a taste of the sub-continent pitch in the last game of the series.
Adil Rashid will almost certainly start as the visitor’s primary spin option, while Wood may continue to be saved for the one-day international series that gets underway in Nagpur on Thursday morning.
India squad: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(C), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana
England squad: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(WK), Jos Buttler(C), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed
Series so far
T20 1 of 5: India won by 7 wickets
England – 132 (20)
India – 133/3 (12.5)
T20 2 of 5: India won by 2 wickets
England – 165/9 (20)
India – 166/8 (19.2)
T20 3 of 5: England won by 26 runs
England – 171/9 (20)
India – 145/9 (20)
T20 4 of 5: India won by 15 runs
India- 181/9 (20)
England- 166 (19.2)
© PA Photos
We say: England to win
With the series wrapped up, India are likely to make a few changes for this match to allow some of their fringe players game time ahead of the 50-over series, and that may work to England’s advantage.
The Three Lions will be determined to add some respectability to the scoreline and we fancy them to do so with a final-match victory on Sunday.
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