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A series of contrasting fortunes is dead in terms of a contest but there’s plenty for both sides to play for. India, with a comfortable 4-0 lead, will test their bench strength while aiming to avoid complacency as they chase a clean sweep and keep up the momentum ahead of the Tests. They have never won five games on the trot in a two-team contest - against England in 2006 they won four before rain interrupted their run. England have been getting better with every defeat and will, as captain Kevin Pietersen said, need to “keep their chins up”. Pietersen wants them to come “back firing on all cylinders” and he can take heart from a Cuttack factoid: England lost the inaugural ODI, in 1982, at the Barabati Stadium, but in three matches since, they have emerged victors - one of those, though, was against Pakistan.

Pietersen’s appointment as captain worked instant wonders for the team during the home summer - they won one Test and four consecutive ODIs against South Africa - but he knows the pressure on him will increase with each defeat. They might have had excuses for being distracted during the Stanford Super Series but they seem to lack focus during the ongoing series as well. England opted for a team meeting instead of the usual practice session - India had optional nets - the day before the game, an exercise to get the team to “identify areas that have not gone quite right”.

India’s Bangalore win was preceded by a selection controversy over RP Singh’s omission from the squad but another dominant display there meant Dhoni emerged with one more series win. The Indian juggernaut keeps rolling over all-comers under his leadership and Dhoni wants to keep winning - a 7-0 scoreline would be a welcome addition to an already-impressive captaincy record. Coach Gary Kirsten has asked his team to look at the upcoming contests as a three-match series.

Team news

England need to settle on their combination at the top of the order. Matt Prior has been shunted down, with Ravi Bopara the latest man to partner Ian Bell. Despite a stand of 79 in Kanpur, the rate of scoring early in the innings is still a major problem. Owais Shah was back at No. 3 for the 22-over chase in Bangalore, but could slip to six again with Kevin Pietersen heading back to first drop as England continue to send out plenty of mixed signals. Also worrying is the form of James Anderson, who has one wicket in England’s last eight completed games, and has not kept the runs down against India, conceding 158 runs off 25 overs. Steve Harmison is likely to replace him although he, too, was expensive in the first two ODIs, but his ability to generate bounce could provide problems for the batsmen.

England (probable) 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Ian Bell, 3 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Owais Shah, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Matt Prior (wk), 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steve Harmison.

After the Bangalore match, Dhoni said the unused players would be tried in the remaining games. Dhoni himself could do with a break, but there is no other keeper in the squad, though Thursday’s selection meeting for the last two ODIs could redress that. Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan and Pragyan Ojha will be hoping to get a chance in Cuttack.

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan/Irfan Pathan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Munaf Patel.

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Match facts

Nov 23, 2008
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)

Big Picture

England were thrashed in Rajkot and comprehensively beaten in Indore but improved their performance in Kanpur. The gap between the teams has narrowed with every game but, at 3-0 to India, the series has reached a stage where England have to win in Bangalore to keep it alive.

Should the toss go Kevin Pietersen’s way, there are a couple of extraneous factors that could aid England. Sunday’s encounter is the first day-night match of the series and, if England’s batsmen post a competitive total, England’s bowlers could use the conditions under floodlights to put the Indian batting line-up under pressure, as they did in Kanpur. The other variable is the weather in Bangalore which at the moment is typically Manchester - wet and overcast. England’s chances of victory are greater in a low-scoring contest - their batsmen are more adept at nudging difficult runs and the conditions could aid their fast bowlers.

Sunday’s match is an opportunity for Mahendra Singh Dhoni to win another limited-overs trophy but to achieve that he will need to forget the controversy that arose on the eve of the match and focus on the game. The Indian selectors changed a winning combination when they picked the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs and Dhoni reportedly expressed his displeasure at RP Singh’s axeing. He was certainly angry when the issue was raised at Saturday’s press conference.

The other change to the squad, however, will boost a team already high on confidence. Sachin Tendulkar, who had asked to be rested for the first three ODIs, will return to the team and is likely open the innings with Virender Sehwag. His inclusion, however, will split the Sehwag-Gautam Gambhir partnership that has given India outstanding starts in 2008 and could give England a tiny window of opportunity.

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