India target knockout blow

Cricket Final ODI : It's a winner-takes-all contest today as Dhoni's men face South African test

After trading blows in equal measure in a see-saw ODI series, both India and South Africa will be attempting to land the knock-out blow on each other when they face-off in the fifth and final match here on Sunday.

Normally, in a home series, its the Indians who would be calling the shots but things have been different this time around. The South Africans have enjoyed landing the first strike but the Indians have been able to soak up the pressure and punch back in gritty fashion.

The heartening factor for the Indians as they gear up for the winner-takes-all clash at the Wankhede Stadium is that they finally seem to have cracked the batting-order puzzle that skipper MS Dhoni chose to tinker around with in a bid to find a suitable replacement for his No 6 slot.

Promoting himself up the order to No 5 in the first two games and to No 4 in the third game and trying to make a place for Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order that resulted in Virat Kohli being removed from his favoured No 3 position in the first two matches didn’t work according to plans.

Dhoni then fell back to the tried and tested formula in the fourth game at Chennai — brought back Kohli to No 3 (from the third ODI), pushed Rahane a rank down and kept himself for the slog overs — and the batting clicked like a well-oiled engine.

Kohli and Suresh Raina, vital cogs in the Indian batting line-up, had endured some indifferent ODI form prior to the series and they didn't begin well too either. But Kohli, after returning to his No 3 position in the third ODI, has struck a half-century and a century while Raina, following two successive ducks, showed signs of his old self with a well made 53 in Chennai.

The duo coming back to run-making ways should be heartening to Dhoni, whose only cause of concern now is the form of opener Shikhar Dhawan. The Delhiite, who can explode unannounced, has a top score of only 23 and he would be determined to get a big one before pressure starts mounting.

The bowlers, after going for plenty in the opening game, have gained in confidence with every passing match. The spinners — Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra —  have exploited the slow dry pitches to the hilt while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma have done a decent job as well.

Considering the series is on the line, the team management in all likelihood may stick with the same side that took the field in the previous game. Left-arm pacer S Arvind and Gurkeerat Singh, who has been in sparkling form for India ‘A’, may just have to warm the chairs with the seasoned names expected to get the job done.

South Africa have had their chances to pocket the series but have inexplicably squandered them. After winning the first ODI, they had India in all sorts of problems in the second game but somehow managed to lose it. Although they won the third, India were too good for them in the fourth despite a second century of the series from skipper AB de Villiers.

The Proteas, statistically, would have wished to play a decider anywhere else in the country except Wankhede. The three times they have played India here, they’ve ended up second best.

An eye will be on the toss as well. Interestingly, the team batting first has emerged triumphant in the four matches so far and just what decision the skipper, who calls the it right at the toss, makes will be eagerly watched.