India’s T20I tour of Ireland and the UK was expected to be remembered for one major milestone: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s international debut. Instead, the trip has produced a series of unwanted records. India suffered their first-ever defeat to Ireland, then lost five T20Is in a row for the first time, before going down to England in a multi-match bilateral T20I series for the first time as well. The heavy defeats have only made the final match in Southampton more important.

If India lose again, the series will end 4-0, which would add yet another unwanted first to their record books. India have never been whitewashed in a T20I series of three or more matches, and they have only once lost three bilateral games in a row before this tour. That makes the pressure in Southampton even greater, especially for a side trying to rebuild after winning the last two men’s T20 World Cups. England, meanwhile, are on a strong run under Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum.

A win in the fifth T20I would not only seal a dominant series result but also take England back to the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I rankings. Since the start of last summer, England have won 19 of their last 22 matches, underlining how well their T20 side is functioning right now. India’s slide has also raised questions about leadership and balance. Shreyas Iyer won the toss in all six completed matches on this tour, but that has been the only consistent success so far.

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Even his unbeaten 80 in the previous game was not enough to hide the lack of support from the rest of the batting unit. Jos Buttler’s own poor run has gone under the radar in Bristol. The England opener has now gone 18 T20I innings without passing 40, averaging just 15.16 in that stretch. His partnership with Phil Salt has long been one of England’s strengths, but at the moment only one of them is delivering consistently.

The final match will be played at the Utilita Bowl, a venue known for its large boundaries and balanced conditions. India did win their only previous T20I there comfortably, but they will need much more than history on their side to avoid finishing this tour with even more unwanted records.

England

Harry Brook has hinted that the hosts are unlikely to make major changes for the fifth and final T20I, insisting they will “stick to their guns” despite already sealing the series. Rehan Ahmed was included in Bristol to strengthen the batting on a smaller ground, but neither he nor Liam Dawson has bowled or faced a ball in the last two matches.

England: (Probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (capt), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton,  Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue

India

India, meanwhile, are expected to shuffle their playing XI after a disappointing series. Suryansh Shedge could replace Shivam Dube to add balance and break the long chain of left-handers. The visitors will also be without Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy, both of whom have been ruled out due to tour-ending injuries suffered in Nottingham.

Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube/Suryansh Shedge, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna