India look for eighth straight bilateral ODI series win against the Windies

OverviewIndia v Windies
5th ODI
Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Thursday, 1 November, 1.30pm local time, 08:00am GMT

With top-order batsmen Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu in good touch, the hosts will fancy their chances of pulling off a victory in the fifth and final ODI.

With scores of 140, 157* and 107 in the first three games, Kohli became the first Indian to score three back-to-back hundreds in 50-over international cricket.

Sharma, his deputy, has had a fruitful series as well. The Indian opener, who did not have an ODI century against the Windies before this series, now has two. His 137-ball 162 was vital to India putting up 377/5 in the fourth ODI. Rayudu seems to have solved India's No.4 conundrum for now too, dishing out promising performances at two-down. He scored his third hundred in ODI cricket at Brabourne Stadium in the fourth game and is looking solid.

India's premier pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have picked up right where they left off before the Asia Cup. They were included in the squad for the last three ODIs, and have looked reliable. The spinners, of course, have been outstanding.

While India look sorted at the top of the order, their lower middle-order has not been at its best of late. MS Dhoni, who is still the best wicket-keeping option for India in the shorter formats of the game, has not been able to get going with the bat. The former Indian captain has scores of 20, 7, and 23 in the series so far.

Kedar Jadhav, who was drafted into the squad for the fourth ODI, and Ravindra Jadeja, who has replaced the injured Hardik Pandya, will need to raise their game to provide India with a thumping finish in the final ODI if needed.

The Windies, who were steamrolled by the Indians in the Test series, have made a statement of intent in the ODIs. They held India to a tie in Visakhapatnam before claiming a 43-run victory in Pune. While they still trail 2-1 in the series, Jason Holder and his men will fancy their chances of coming out on top in Thiruvananthapuram and squaring the series.

With scores of 32, 123*and 95 in the first three games, before scoring a duck in the fourth, Shai Hope has been the best player for the visitors so far. The 24-year-old's strong performance was crucial in the Windies clinching a tie and a victory in the series.

Shimron Hetymer has also been integral to the strong performances from the Windies in the first three ODIs. He notched up his third ODI hundred in the first game before adding 94 in the next game. He will be an important player for the visitors going into the final ODI.

But the rest of their batsmen need to click collectively for Windies to challenge India in the decider. Experienced campaigners like Marlon Samuels and Jason Holder, especially, must take the lead.

If India win this one, it will be their eighth straight win over the Windies in a bilateral one-day international series – the last time the Windies won was back in 2006 at home.

Key players

Virat Kohli (India): The Indian skipper has smashed records for fun in this series and looks in rich form. He scored three centuries in as many ODIs before falling for 16 in the previous game in Mumbai. He will want to set things right by capping the series with another big score to his name.

Shai Hope (Windies): The best Windies batsman did not bring his A-game to the fore in the Test series. However, he has more than made up for it in the 50-over format. With 250 runs in four innings, he's the third-highest run-scorer of the series behind Kohli and Sharma. He will be the key for the visitors to pull one over India in the final game.

Conditions

Rain, perhaps even a thunderstorm, is expected to hit Thiruvananthapuram during the afternoon, which might mean that the game gets delayed or even curtailed.

Squads

India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, K Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav

Windies: Jason Holder (c), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Fabian Allen, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Oshane Thomas, Obed McCoy, Kieran Powell