England face India in the fifth and final T20I on Saturday afternoon at the Utilita Bowl in Hampshire.
Harry Brook’s side took an unassailable 3-0 series lead with one match to spare when defeating India by nine wickets on Thursday evening.
England thoroughly outclassed India in the fourth match of the series, and coupled with Ireland’s 2-0 series win over the tourists, it now makes it a record five straight T20 defeats for the Indian side.
India struggled to 158 from their 20 overs before England made light work of the chase with Phil Salt pairing with captain Brook in an unbroken second-wicket partnership of 144. Brook finished with 79 from 35 deliveries, while opener Salt hit 59 from 42.
Shreyas Iyer only took on the top job in early June and despite his 80 not out, India were unable to set a defensible target and slumped to 158-7.
The series concludes on Saturday, with England looking to seal a whitewash.
England v India Tips Summary
Best Bet - Shreyas Iyer 30+ runs @ 11/10
Alternative Bet - Harry Brook over 1.5 sixes @ 11/10
Bet Builder - Jofra Archer to take 2+ wickets, Phil Salt to score over 25.5 runs, Shreyas Iyer top India batter @ 16/1
England v India Prediction
Best Bet: Shreyas Iyer 30+ runs @ 11/10
India’s performances on their tours of England and Ireland have been dire, but if there is one man who, from a batting perspective, can hold his head high, it is captain Shreyas Iyer.
He was only named T20 captain in June and while his team have struggled on the field, the new skipper has not let the responsibility affect his batting performances.
In defeat on Thursday he hit an impressive unbeaten 80 and sits top of the series run scorers with 190, averaging over 60.
Iyer has two 50s to his name this series from four innings, and only once has he failed to score over 30 in that run. Backing the India captain to once again show up for his team looks an appealing option.
Alternative Bet: Harry Brook over 1.5 sixes @ 11/10
England captain Brook put on a batting masterclass in the fourth match, smashing 79 not out off just 35 deliveries, including four sixes.
That took his tally of clearing the ropes to seven in three innings, no player has hit more maximums than the Yorkshireman this series.
With England desperate to claim a whitewash series victory, there will be no letting up from Brook and with his devastating hitting, the skipper is more than capable of smashing two or more sixes.
England v India Bet Builder Tip
Jofra Archer to take 2+ wickets
Phil Salt to score over 25.5 runs
Shreyas Iyer top India batter
Pays 16/1
Jofra Archer is the series joint-leading wicket taker with six from three matches and he was once again in devastating form on Thursday, taking two wickets along with an incredible run out when kicking the ball onto the stumps.
Archer is the undisputed leader of the England attack in this format of the game and is a constant threat throughout his spells with the ball in hand.
He has five wickets in the last two games and can match that output again in Hampshire at a ground he calls home during The Hundred competition.
Phil Salt is often the unheralded member of England’s batting line-up. He does not have the star power of Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethall or Brook but he quietly goes about his business racking up the runs at the top of the order.
Salt is the third-highest run-scorer with 129 from three innings in this series and he is the glue of the England innings.
His strike rate of 148 is lower than his top-order teammates but he keeps things ticking along and provides a platform for the more explosive players, with an average of 64.50 this series. Backing Salt to beat the 25.5 line is an appealing option.
Rounding out this three-fold is backing the Indian captain Shreyas Iyer to once again lead by example.
Iyer was the lone figure of batting resistance on Thursday with his unbeaten 80, and he has twice been his team's leading run scorer in matches this series.
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Key Match Stats
England are unbeaten in their last five bilateral T20I series, with India the last team to beat them at home
India were on a 16-series all-format unbeaten run until this series defeat
India are on a record-losing T20I streak of five defeats in a row
Shreyas Iyer is the series-leading run scorer with 190 at 63.33
England’s top run scorer this series is Harry Brook with 134 at a 67 average
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue lead the way with the ball, taking six wickets each
Tactics, Form & Team News
Following their thumping nine-wicket win, England are expected to be unchanged for this clash.
If Harry Brook wishes to mix up his team, he has bowling options in reserve in the form of Luke Wood and Liam Dawson and batting depth with Jordan Cox waiting in the wings.
Expected England XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethall, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
Sanju Samson has lost his place this series to teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has failed to replicate his IPL form at international level. However, the selectors are expected to stick with the youngster and keep him at the top of the order for this final T20I.
Axar Patel’s spot in the team has come under pressure throughout this series, he is expected to start this final match, but should India wish to change things, they have all-rounder Suryansh Shedge or bowler Harshit Rana ready to step in.
Expected India XI: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
