Skipper Virat Kohli & his troops took an unassailable lead in the five-match ODI 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.<doc-sep>(TOI Photo) Key Highlights India lead the series 2-1 going into the decider on Thursday The Sports Hub, venue for the fifth ODI, has hosted only one first-class match, which was way back at the start of 2017-18 Ranji season There is a forecast for partly cloudy sky with possibility of light thundershowers in the afternoon THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Batsmen have flourished in the India-West Indies series so far. From four matches, eight centuries have been scored already, in sharp contrast to the ODI series against Australia last year when five matches produced only three tons. Both teams scored over 300 in the first two matches and India posted 377 in the fourth ODI in Mumbai. At Brabourne, though, under lights, the ball moved around testing the technique of Windies' batsmen in probably the only phase where the ball dominated the bat in the series. The script is unlikely to change as a good batting strip is expected at the Sports Hub in the deciding fifth ODI here on Thursday where the West Indies will be looking to square the series. "We have prepared a wicket that will assist batsmen and free stroke-play and like other matches, we can expect a 300-plus total here also," said Jayesh Geoge, former Kerala Cricket Association secretary and general convener of the first ODI match in Thiruvananthapuram after 30 years. When the Sports Hub hosted its maiden international last year, a T20I between India and New Zealand which was curtailed to an eight-over contest due to rain, one noticeable thing was the ball was gripping and coming off the wicket slower, making stroke-play difficult. "There was obviously some dampness underneath because of all the rain that time. This time, we have got enough sunshine for the preparation of the wicket and the ball is expected to come onto the bat," added Jayesh. However, with the Sports Hub having hosted only one first-class match, that too way back at the beginning of the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season, there is very little evidence to gauge how the pitch would behave, as is normal with any other new venue on the international scene. A practice match was held last week and both teams scored over 200 runs from 30 overs, the organisers said. The BCCI south zone head of curators S Sriram is heading the pitch preparation along with KCA curators Biju AM and Hamza. Minor rain threat The city has seen rain on and off over the last few days but nothing to suggest the match would be in any real danger. The forecast for Thursday, the day of the match, according to the meteorological department says partly cloudy sky with possibility of light thundershowers in the afternoon. However, it is unlikely to play spoilsport like the last time is the belief of the organisers.<doc-sep>“I think I need heads on both sides. That is the only way I would win the toss.” This is what India skipper Virat Kohli had said after losing five consecutive tosses to England captain Joe Root in the five-match Test series, a couple of months back. But time is a great healer and from joining the likes of Lala Amarnath and Kapil Dev as the Indian captain to lose all 5 tosses in a series, skipper Kohli is now on the verge of setting a new toss record, albeit this time for all the right reasons. Kohli has won the toss in all the four matches of the ongoing series against Windies and if he manages to do so in the fifth and the final ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, he will become the first India captain to win all five tosses in a bilateral series at home. Also Read: India’s predicted XI for 5th ODI - Hosts set to tinker with bowling attack Moreover, he will also become the fourth Indian captain to win all five tosses of a series after Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni. Interestingly, Kohli will also become the third captain to win all five tosses in an ODI series against West Indies after Hansie Cronje (South Africa) and Steve Waugh (Australia). India go into the final ODI eyeing another home series triumph against the West Indies, a far cry from the dominant force it was when the city last hosted a 50-over international three decades ago. A victory in the fifth and penultimate One-day International will ensure India maintain their unbeaten run since the reverse against South Africa in 2015. Also Read: Virat Kohli reveals his mantra for success – train, eat, sleep, repeat Leading 2-1 in the five-match series that also witnessed a tie, the hosts faced unexpected resistance in the past few days, including suffering a shock defeat, since the time the West Indians set foot in the country a little more than a month ago. The weather is expected to play a part with showers predicted.<doc-sep>THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India's bowling coach Bharat Arun Wednesday said the team's fast-bowling strength has never been more "exciting" with new find Khaleel Ahmed being the latest addition to the stocks. "We have a very good fast bowling quartet. And also, the bench strength is very exciting," Arun said ahead of the fifth and final one-dayer against the West Indies here on Thursday.Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with Khaleel make up the pace battery currently in operation against the West Indies. Arun praised Khaleel, calling the 20-year-old a bright prospect. "Khaleel looks a very exciting prospect. He is sharp and has the skills to do well in international cricket," he told reporters.Khaleel took 3 for 13 in the fourth ODI in Mumbai to trigger the West Indies' collapse in pursuit of a mammoth 378 for victory.Arun, without naming specific players, said the bench strength in Indian fast bowling is making it easier for the team management to rotate bowlers and balance their workload. "When we started off, the onus was not only on creating a force to reckon with pace bowling unit for the Indian team, also we needed very good bench strength. To sustain fast bowling over a long period of time, you need to rotate these bowlers. The team management had to monitor the workload," he explained. "When we played against South Africa, I think it was the first time in the history of Indian cricket we went into a match without a single spinner. We happened to win that Test match as well. This augurs really well for Indian cricket," he added referring to the tour earlier this year.The bowling coach also defended the under-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying he is one of the legends of Indian cricket and would come good. "He is one of the legends of Indian cricket. His striking ability is for everyone to see. He has done it many a times before. He is extremely experienced and I'm sure given the opportunities, he will come good," Arun added.Asked if performance would be given precedence over the 'Yo-Yo' fitness test in the light of Ambati Rayudu 's show in the ODI series against West Indies, he said it was mandatory to prove fitness.Rayudu missed out on the England tour after failing the Yo-Yo test, made a comeback in the ongoing series and has done well so far, including a hundred in the previous match. "Fitness, with the kind of schedule that we have, is an important part of our focus. And the mark that we have kept for people to pass is not every tough. And anyone who is there in the team has to pass the fitness test," he said.The Indian team had an optional training session ahead of Thursday's fixture with only a handful of players taking part.Young southpaw Rishabh Pant delighted the small group of fans who gathered to watch the session with some big hitting.The others who practiced were Rayudu, K L Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav. The West Indies, on the other hand, opted not to train.<doc-sep>
Dhoni watch Weather watch THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The legend goes that one of the sixes hit by Phil Simmons sailed over the University Stadium and landed inside the Mascot Hotel, a reflection of the dominance West Indies had over India as they completed a 6-1 drubbing. This was 1988, the last time Thiruvananthapuram hosted an ODI. Incidentally, another West Indies team has come to end the city's wait for its next ODI as they try to deny the hosts India, coached by Ravi Shastri who was the captain in that 1988 ODI, a sixth consecutive bilateral series success at home.The power equations in world cricket have changed a lot since then. Off the field, makeshift stands at the University Stadium have given way to a swanky new stadium at the Sports Hub. On the field, West Indies haven't beaten India in an ODI series since 2006. More damning, they haven't won two matches in a series against India after 2011.Naturally, no one expected the Caribbeans to take the rubber, especially after they got walloped in the Test series. But credit to them for keeping the series alive going into the final match. Already an improvement from 2014, when they left the Indian shores boycotting the tour before the last ODI, owing to contractual disputes.At home last year also, West Indies had the chance to square a five-match series but India emerged victorious 3-1. The hosts look good to repeat the scoreline as a convincing win in Mumbai seems to have lifted the spirit of the whole unit.The Indian cricket fraternity had been having the No. 4 discussion for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and Ambati Rayudu has deprived them of their staple. The Hyderabad batsman, with his third ODI century and more importantly the first one by a batsman outside the top-three in two years, has justified the captain's faith and will be looking to build on his form.Kemar Roach and the law of averages stumped Virat Kohli in Mumbai and with the latter less harsh on him, the Indian captain will be expected to score another century going by the way he has timed the ball this series.India might be tempted to go for KL Rahul as the opening partner of in-form Rohit Sharma and this would mean Shikhar Dhawan's failure to convert starts will cost him. Rahul may come in for Rohit if the team management decides to give the vice-captain a rest. Rahul, in fact, was one of the three batsmen who hit the nets on Wednesday along with Rishabh Pant and Rayudu.As for West Indies, both openers have been poor. Their first-wicket partnerships read 19, 36, 25, and 20 and the individual tally of Kieron Powell and Chandrapaul Hemraj 94 and 70, respectively. Sunil Ambris might get a look-in in place of Hemraj but the batting mainstays remain Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, both of who have scored 250 runs with a century each.West Indies' fielding coach Nic Pothas believes it will be a challenge to beat India again but took positives from the team's performance so far. "We’ve seen that we can execute for short periods of time. The challenge is always going to be to execute over a 100 overs. If you’re going to beat India or England or Australia, Pakistan, you’ve got to execute for a 100 overs," said Pothas.MS Dhoni, who has been under scrutiny for his struggles with the bat, needs just one more run to complete 10,000 runs for India in the format and on the eve of the match, India's bowling coach Bharat Arun supported the former skipper. "His striking ability is for everyone to see. He has done it many times before. He is extremely experienced and I'm sure given the opportunities, he will come good," said Arun.The Met department has predicted partly cloudy sky with possibility of moderate rain or thunderstorm for Thursday, but there is no serious threat to the game.