The winner of this clash between India and England, two old rivals, meets Australia in the Carlton Mid Tri-Series final on Sunday, here at the WACA, in Perth. It couldn’t be simpler than this. If the match gets washed out, England go through. The weather conditions are not perfect here at Perth, and a thunder shower has been forecast by the local weather department here – which would certainly put India at a massive disadvantage, going into the fixture.
England certainly start as firm favorites, having skittled out India for a paltry 153 in the last match between the two. Steven Finn was the undisputed hero in that clash, and Indians had seemingly no answer to his brutal pace and bounce. India are further handicapped by the absence of their star opening batsman Rohit Sharma due to a persistent injury. His replacement at the top, Shikhar Dhawan, has completely deteriorated here in the Australia tour and certainly does not inspire any confidence.
The Indians are also handicapped by lack of match practice, having played only two proper matches in the while tri series. Captain M S Dhoni was specifically asked if England enjoyed a psychological advantage over his side, given how they demolished India in the last game. Dhoni said, half-seriously, “They had the psychological advantage in ODIs in England as well.” Dhoni wanted to remind everyone in the press about India’s win in the ODI series held in England following their massive defeat in the Test matches. Clearly, Dhoni believes India have an edge over England in one day matches.
Captain Eoin Morgan was more sanguine, saying, “I think it is important to win this game given the lack of success we’ve had before this tour. We’ve built a confidence in our preparation, into the game in Brisbane and in performances leading into the start of this series. So as momentum and confidence goes, I think it’s quite a big game.”
Both sides are expected to go in with the same teams that played the last match. India will be without Rohit Sharma, of course.
Team news
England: 1 Ian Bell, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn.
India: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Ishant Sharma.
Match conditions
The WACA pitch, here in Perth, is known for its nasty pace and bounce, and is among the best pitches in the world for fast bowlers. Steven Finn is likely to prove to be a real handful for Indians, with his height, pace and bounce. We expect it to rain during the match, how far it would affect the game, is at this point unclear.
Watch the match between India and England live on Star Sports, at 8:50 AM, on Friday, 30th January, 2015.
