India look to keep home pride intact with series win over WI

India will be looking to keep their long unbeaten record at home intact as the reigning two-time champions face former double T20 winners West Indies in the fifth and final T20I of the series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, with rain around.

The high-scoring feast series has seen 220-plus totals vulnerable. The West Indies have chased 250, defended 247 by 24 runs and came close to the 224-run target in three of these four contests.

The series has tested bowlers left, right and centre and India’s bowling has been under the scanner. What will be the life after Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya? The answer remains unsolved as of now.

A near full-strength Indian team, sans Bumrah, Hardik and Washington Sundar, has been put to the test.

Shai Hope is having one of the most successful series from a visiting player in India. He has already hit four centuries on the tour — two in ODIs and two in T20Is — and has been the difference between the two sides almost on every occasion. Whenever he has gone unbeaten, the West Indies have won those three games on this white-ball tour.

He has hit 539 runs in five games and with another possible run feast awaiting in Bengaluru, Hope will hope to flex his muscles once more. If the West Indies manage to win this game too, they will become the first team to beat India in India in a T20I series since they lost to Australia 0-2 in February 2019.

Meanwhile, India have been bolstered by the addition of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose IPL home stadium is the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He has been added as injury cover for Arshdeep Singh, who was hit on his bowling arm while batting in the last over of the previous match in Hyderabad, where India came close to chasing 248. Bhuvneshwar was earlier added to India’s T20I squad for the five-match series in New Zealand.

The 36-year-old last represented India in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England at the Adelaide Oval in November 2022.

A strong run in the Indian Premier League over the last two seasons has helped the experienced seamer force his way back into the national setup.

Bhuvneshwar claimed 45 wickets across the last two IPL editions for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and played an important role in the franchise’s title-winning campaigns. His consistency with the new ball and wealth of experience have now earned him another opportunity in India’s T20I setup.

India would also look to Sanju Samson, who has scored two half-centuries in this series. Abhishek Sharma has looked solid in the third T20I but had a rare struggle in the fourth match when he made 29 from 24 balls.

A series victory here would be an unexpected bonus for the West Indies, who have recently announced a slew of measures to revive cricket in the Caribbean islands.

In the end, it could come down to who blinks first on another potentially batting-friendly strip. However, there is no doubt that India will be under greater pressure to deliver.

There is a possible threat of rain intervening in this clash, with showers predicted. If not for the rain showers, sixes raining are almost on the cards, and India would want to lead in the number of maximums if they have to keep their home record intact.

Rain splashed Bengaluru on Friday as waterlogging concerns have also come to the fray. The downpours are expected to continue over the next few days, and the same is the case for Saturday, the match day for the fifth contest.

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru has traditionally been regarded as one of the most challenging venues for bowlers, thanks to its batting-friendly surface, relatively flat pitch, and short boundaries. The conditions often favour batters, allowing them to play their shots freely and score runs at a rapid pace.

With boundaries within easy reach and little margin for error, bowlers frequently find themselves under immense pressure, making it a venue where high-scoring encounters are a common occurrence.

However, the stadium has remained largely away from the international cricketing spotlight since the first Test between India and New Zealand in October 2024. Since that match, the iconic venue has not hosted another international fixture, while its schedule has also been relatively quiet in terms of major cricketing events. Apart from a handful of Indian Premier League (IPL) clashes, Chinnaswamy has seen little high-profile action during this period.

Agencies