Series in pocket, India may try new faces

Sreesanth, Rohit Sharma and Praveen Kumar may get a chance to prove their worth against Pakistan.

With the series in pocket and the final tie rendered inconsequential, India may try out some of their bench players as they go into the fifth cricket ODI against Pakistan in Jaipur on Sunday with the aim of increasing the victory margin.

Players like paceman S Sreesanth, batsman Rohit Sharma and all rounder Praveen Kumar, who have not played a single match in the series, may get a chance to prove their worth against their arch rivals who will be determined to score a consolation win.

Having taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, the home team is in the happy position of being able to rest some of the senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan.

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While Ganguly and Zaheer are likely to sit out, the team management may include the in-form Tendulkar, fearing that the break could hamper his form ahead of the Test series.

A victory in the final day-night encounter will be the perfect boost for the hosts when they go into the three-match Test series beginning in Delhi from November 22.

While some insist that the Shoaib Malik-led squad could well be the weakest Pakistani side ever to cross the Line of Control, India’s performance has proved that Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates have maintained a vice-like grip over the series, with the defeat in Mohali being the lone blemish.