Virat Kohli & his troops took an unassailable lead in the series following their convincing win over Windies in the fourth ODI in Mumbai, on Monday. India will now look for a win in the final clash of the five-match series to clinch it 3-1. However, it won’t be an easy task for them as the visitors have already show that they can punch above their weight and stun India in their own backyard.

While it may be said that don’t tinker with what isn’t broken but the Indian team management will look to make minor tweaks in the line-up and seal the series in Thiruvananthapuram. We try to predict the side which could take the field on Thursday.

Rohit Sharma

Vice-captain Rohit Sharma starred with the willow once again to guide the hosts to a convincing win in the fourth ODI. The opener slammed his second ton of the series to illustrate his importance at the top. Rohit will look to continue his rich vein of form and fire India to a series win by helping the team win the final ODI.

Shikhar Dhawan

Opener Shikhar Dhawan is the only top-order Indian batsman who hasn’t crossed the 50-run mark in the ongoing series. His record against the Windies in the past hasn’t been great according to his own high standards and same has been the case in the ongoing series. Despite not been able to get a big innings under his belt, Dhawan’s place in the side is as secure as ever and he will look to finish off on a high in the last match of the series.

Virat Kohli

Skipper Virat Kohli has been in unbelievable form in the ongoing series and will look to continue that in the final match as well. Kohli has struck three tons in four matches and is the leading run-getter of the series by some distance. Kohli won’t opt to rest himself for the final clash simply because India haven’t clinched the series yet and will look lead from the front once again, during batting as well as during fielding.

Ambati Rayudu

Middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu once again illustrated his importance in the side by slamming a century in the penultimate ODI of the series. Before the first ODI, Kohli had said that Rayudu could be India’s answer to the number four slot and he has batted like that thus far. Rayudu has batted according to the need of the team and will look to score big in the final ODI as well.

Kedar Jadhav

The reason why all-rounder Kedar Jadhav is a regular in the team is because he provides balance to the side. Apart from being a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, Jadhav has a knack of picking wickets and that means that India can play an extra batsman or a bowler, depending upon the opposition and situation. Jadhav got a chance to bat for just seven deliveries in Mumbai and didn’t bowl a single over as others did the job for the team. But Jadhav will be expected to deliver if called upon in the final ODI.

MS Dhoni

Wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni remains one of the best in the world behind the stumps, but with the bat in hand, he has been a shadow of his previous self for quite sometime now. Dhoni struck a quick-fire 23 in Mumbai to illustrate his hard-hitting abilities but he is still due of a big score. Dhoni remains India’s best bet, as far as wicket-keeping is concerned, till the World Cup but needs to fire sooner that later to put the talks of him being dropped to rest.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

After two matches, fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar still seems to be a bit rusty as he hasn’t bowled well according to his own high standards. The pacer has scalped just two wickets in as many matches and has proved to be expensive as well. Bhuvneshwar needs more game time to get his rhythm back and will definitely get a chance to play in the final ODI. His batting ability also makes him a good asset for the team down the order.

Jasprit Bumrah

After the high of Pune, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah had relatively quiet game in Mumbai. Bumrah failed to scalp even a single wicket but his economy rate was well under four. He remains India’s best bowler in limited-over formats because of his wicket-taking abilities and stopping the flow of runs in the death overs. Bumrah has hit the ground running after being rested for the opening two matches of the series and will look to continue the momentum in Thiruvanathapuram.

Khaleel Ahmed

India are expected to once again go with the three-pronged pace attack in the final ODI and that means that Khaleel Ahmed will get another outing in the series. The left-arm pacer bowled exceedingly well in Mumbai and scalped three wickets to star in India’s big win. Skipper Kohli is a big admirer of the youngster and now that he has finally hit good form, he would want Khaleel to remain in the playing XI.

Kuldeep Yadav

Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav once again spun a web around the Windies batsmen and scalped three wickets to play a big role in India’s win in Mumbai. Kuldeep remains India’s best spinner in limited-over formats of the game and one of the first names of the team sheet. Kuldeep also showed that he is a good fielder by effecting a direct hit to dismiss in-form Shai Hope for 0.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal failed to find a spot in the last ODI as the team management opted for Ravindra Jadeja instead. However, having both Jadeja and Jadhav in the side seems to create a conflict as both are somewhat similar type of players. In Chahal, the team gets a proper wicket-taking spinner and that could tip the balance in his favour.

First Published: Oct 31, 2018 11:32 IST