Mumbai, Feb 2 (PTI) – England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl in the fifth and final T20I against India at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
With the series already sealed at 3-1 in India's favor, the hosts made a solitary change, bringing in experienced pacer Mohammed Shami in place of Arshdeep Singh. England, on the other hand, handed Mark Wood a place in the XI, replacing Saqib Mahmood.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed confidence in his team's decision to bat first, emphasizing the importance of taking responsibility in high-pressure games.
"We wanted to bat first, looks like a good wicket. I am hoping there won't be much dew. It's going to be a packed stadium tonight. We want the boys taking that responsibility, that’s what we demand and that’s what they are doing,"said Suryakumar.
Buttler, meanwhile, acknowledged that his team needed to improve their execution in crucial moments while making a cheeky reference to India’s controversial ‘concussion sub’ decision in the previous game.
"We played some good cricket in patches. We should have executed it better though. Need to grab the special moments in the game. There’s a good vibe in the team, it’s a good venue and it’s a great crowd. It’s a good wicket, Mark Wood comes back in. Both teams are high-octane. We have four impact subs in our team," said Buttler.
His comment subtly pointed to the fourth T20I controversy, where India replaced a concussed Shivam Dube with fast bowler Harshit Rana, raising questions about the use of the substitution rule.
Playing XIs
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.England: Philip Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
With the series already decided, India will aim to finish on a high, while England seeks a consolation victory in front of a packed Wankhede crowd.
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