Kolkata: Brimming with confidence, MS Dhoni and Co. will take on reigning T2O Champions England in a one-off T20 on Saturday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. England, seeking their first win on the disastrous tour, will be hoping to end the tour on a high.
On the other hand India, after the nightmarish 0-4 loss in Tests, 0-3 in one-day internationals and also in the only Twenty20 international in England, would love to continue their dominance and would want to send England back without a win. This Indian team is on a mission, even as skipper Dhoni insisted on not calling it a revenge series.
As everyone who got an opportunity in the ODI series has come good, the Indian team management has no dearth of options. Two among Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary would fill up the batting slots after the certainties Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja walk into the team.
Dhoni, who is yet to be dismissed in this series, has lived up to the role of a finisher, amassing 212 unbeaten runs from four innings. Kohli has matutred as a batsman and the Delhi lad has been India's leading run-getter in the absence of key players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.
India will also miss Gautam Gambhir, who will remain absent because of his marriage. But his absence can give a chance to Uthappa who will be itching to make a comeback in the playing eleven after three years. Yusuf Pathan can also make a comeback and India will be hoping that he can unleash his big-hitting in the shorter format of the game. Ravindra Jadeja will surely keep his place after a good one-day show.
The duo will also come in handy with their off-spin and left-arm orthodox, even as Ravichandran Ashwin will lead the slow attack. Touted as India's fastest, Varun Aaron impressed in his two outings in the one-dayers and it remains to be seen if Dhoni tests the mettle of his statemate alongside pace spearhead Praveen Kumar.
The two sides have so far clashed in three Twenty20 matches, with England triumphing in two of them and India winning the other.
However, the visitors may have to go into the match without their batting mainstay Kevin Pietersen, who missed the final ODI having broken his thumb in the fourth game in Mumbai.
Pietersen's fate depends on the results of a fitness test conducted on Friday and his absence would deplete England's strength to a great extent as he is their best bet against spin.
Offie Graeme Swann, who would lead the side in the absence of injured regular T20 skipper Stuart Broad, has to deliver the goods in bowling alongside his left-arm spin partner Samit Patel in what is likely to be another slow surface, like the one seen on Tuesday.
One-day skipper Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have returned home, big hitting Jos Buttler - the youngest member of the side now - and 6-feet-5-inch tall top order batsman Alex Hales joining the squad for this game.
Lanky pacer Steven Finn has been a revelation for England in the series and along with Tim Bresnan will once again lead their pace battery that also has Stuart Meaker.
SQUADS:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c&wk), Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Varun Aaron, Robin Uthappa, Rahul Sharma, S Arvind
England: Graeme Swann (c), Craig Kieswetter (wk), Alex Hales, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonathan Bairstow, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Scott Borthwick, Stuart Meaker, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Jos Buttler.
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