India vs England 5th T20I preview: Team prediction, pitch report and weather forecast

Southampton: India head into the fifth and final T20I against England with little left to play for except pride after a disappointing tour of the United Kingdom.

The visitors are yet to register a victory across the white-ball leg, having lost the Ireland series before suffering a one-sided defeat against England.

With the series already decided, India will be eager to finish on a positive note in Southampton. The batting unit, however, has plenty to reflect on.

The top order has often relied on aggressive cross-batted strokes, but adapting to English conditions with a wider range of shots could prove crucial.

Openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma will once again be expected to provide a solid platform, while the middle order must convert starts into impactful scores.

India's bowling attack has also struggled to contain England's batters, although the bowlers have had limited totals to defend after the batting unit repeatedly failed to post competitive scores.

England, meanwhile, have looked a class apart throughout the series and will be aiming to complete a 4-0 triumph.

An additional incentive awaits Harry Brook's side, with victory set to lift them to the No. 1 spot in the ICC men's T20I rankings. That could see the hosts field another full-strength attack led by Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue.

Harry Brook starred with the bat in the previous game, while Phil Salt rediscovered form with a timely half-century.

England's batting depth, stretching down to Rehan Ahmed, coupled with sharp fielding, has given them the edge throughout the series.

Predicted XIs

• India: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.
• England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (capt), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue/Saqib Mahmood.

Head-to-head: India and England have met 34 times in T20 internationals, with India holding the overall advantage, though England have dominated the ongoing series.