Daijiworld Media Network

Perth, Jan 30 : After the previous game between Australia and India was abandoned, this match becomes a virtual semi-final. India are yet to win a game on the tour and if they win this, they will be playing Australia on Sunday in the final. However, there are a few things that are worrying the Indian team management. The woes of the top-order continue, Dhawan can't seem to score a run and Rahane has thrown it away after getting a couple of starts. With Rohit being injured, Rayudu gets a longer run to prove his credentials in the side.

The move to bat Kohli at No.4 has already come under the scanner. MS Dhoni defended the move once again and stressed that inexperience in the ranks of the lower middle order has forced Kohli to bat one step down in the order. The bowling will be boosted with the return of Ishant and Jadeja, who were named in the XI for the previous game. Interestingly, they opted for two left-arm spinners, over Ashwin, we will have to see whether they will go in with the same combination or bring back the offie.

Meanwhile, England are slowly ticking off a few boxes of their own. The opening pair looks settled with Ian Bell and Moeen Ali scoring runs, the former going onto score a ton against Australia. Joe Root looked good in the previous game and even Eoin Morgan has a hundred to his name in the series. The bowling looks sharp with the back-to-form Steven Finn and James Anderson leading the attack. The only concerns are the No.3 slot occupied by James Taylor and the form of Stuart Broad going into the World Cup. Will they shuffle around with the team? Hello and welcome to the sixth game of the tri-series.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma

England (Playing XI): Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, James Taylor, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler(w), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Eoin Morgan: 'We will bowl first. The wicket is probably softer than what we expected and the pitch will get better. We took a lot of confidence from the previous game against India. We have put in lot of hard-work in the last 12 months. We want to rectify the mistakes we made in Hobart. The guys have started to gel together well. We will have to makes changes as and when we see fit. Perth has been very hospitable to us.'

England have won the toss and have opted to field

England have just tweeted that they will be playing an unchanged side.

Pitch Report: 'The conditions are overcast. The pitch looks very very hard. There is a good grass covering on it. There will be a lot of bounce on this deck. There will be sideway movement with the new ball. It is a kind of wicket that bowlers will like. Lots of runs will probably not be scored on this pitch. It is a pitch for the bowlers and not the batsmen,' reckon Sunil Gavaskar and Wasim Akram.

Match Preview by Prateek Srivastava

An out-of-form India were lucky to get away with two points after the washout against Australia on Monday, because that has given them a big opportunity to beat England at Perth on Friday and reach the final of the Carlton Mid One-day International Tri-Series.

England have five points from three matches, while India have two, and the winners of Friday's encounter will play Australia in the final on Sunday, again at Perth.

However, as straightforward as it may sound, the job of beating the English team won't be easy for MS Dhoni's men who are yet to register a win in the tournament. They continue to be uncertain over Rohit Sharma's fitness. The batsman hasn't played since scoring 138 in the team's opening match against Australia, on account of a hamstring injury. He had a hard training session on Wednesday, but with an eye on the upcoming WC, it's highly unlikely India will risk playing him.

With scores of 2, 1 and 8, opener Shikhar Dhawan's form has hit rock bottom and that has made matters worse. The left-hander can hope to get yet another opportunity to get some form ahead of quadrennial tournament. Some runs off his bat will make Dhoni's life easier as regards the composition of the eleven.

England, on the other hand, have no such grave worries. They beat India with a bonus point and lost twice to Australia, but they are improving with every match. When they played India at Brisbane, medium pacer Steven Finn had bounced out Dhoni and co. with a career-best 5 for 33. Since the WACA pitch has the reputation as being the most quick and bouncy in Australia, England's fast bowlers will back themselves again.

In the batting department too, Eoin Morgan's team holds the edge. Ian Bell, after scoring 0 in the tournament opener against Australia, made 88* and a career-best 141 in the following games. Joe Root, James Taylor and Morgan himself have been among the runs. 'I think it is important to win this game given the lack of success we've had before this tour. We've built a confidence in our preparation, in the game in Brisbane and in performances leading into the start of this series. So as momentum and confidence goes I think it's quite a big game,' Morgan said ahead of the match.

The odds are heavily stacked in England's favour when one looks at the way India have played so far, but there is no doubt that Dhoni' s team has a big chance on Friday to put things right to some extent.