Another high-scorer on cards for series decider
Yet another 350-plays-350 - entirely possible in Bangalore - would be the definitive message to the legislators of the game that they have badly skewed the balance between bat and ball
Match facts
Saturday, November 2, 2013Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)
Big Picture
The series couldn't have meant more differently to the two sides. It is tied 2-2, is headed into a decider in Bangalore, and what do Australia do? They take, Mitchell Johnson, self-admittedly their Man of the Series, and put him on a flight to Australia so he can present a case and prepare for the Ashes. India, on the other hand, have rested their important Test allrounder - on Indian turning tracks, that is - for the West Indies Tests because he has a shoulder strain, but they have every intention to play the man, Ravindra Jadeja, in this decider.Form guide
Australia LWLWW (most recent games first, completed matches)India WLWLW
In the spotlight
Virat Kohli comes back to his third home for this ODI. His second home is Delhi, and his first is when he is batting in a chase. Within 13 days he has scored India's fastest and third-fastest centuries to make them the only side in the world to have successfully chased down 350 or more twice. India will need more of the same.Team news
Amit Mishra's first home ODI began well with the ball turning and the batsmen not picking his wrong 'uns, but it went wrong pretty soon, and long hops made regular appearances as he was put under pressure. He could lose out to Jaydev Unadkat in the only likely change in the Indian XI.Stats and trivia
- Kohli needs 81 runs to reach 5000 in ODIs. If he does it in this game, he will be the fastest to the landmark. If he takes two innings to get there, he will be the joint-fastest, alongside Viv Richards
- Kohli is the only player to have scored five successive scores of 50-plus on two separate occasions
- Only Hashim Amla has reached 1500 career ODI runs faster than Bailey, who did so in his 32nd innings
Quotes
"It has turned out to be a great series for our team in many ways; the way we've fought back from different situations. Personally, I've been pleased with my batting and hopefully I can do it again in the last game."Virat Kohli
Brad Haddin
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo