T20I: More than a one-off tie for India

A one-off T20 game at the end of a long wind ing tour doesn't really find the players in the same frame of mind as it does at the start, or somewhere in the middle of an absorbing series. This is the time when physical and mental fatigue takes over and the only thing playing on the minds of the players is getting on the plane back home. However, the overworked Indian cricketers don't enjoy these privileges.The hawkish eyes of the fans and critics follow their exploits till the last ball is bowled and they can't afford to take the foot off the pedal.
Somehow, MS Dhoni & Co.will have to squeeze out the last bit of energy left in them to take on England in the oneoff T20 match in Birmingham on Sunday.
They have plenty of incentives to do so. Firstly, they're the top-ranked T20 team in the world and they'll have to prove that the official ICC rankings are not irrelevant.
Despite the fact that they play fewer T20 Internationals than any other top team, the Indian side had done remarkably well to reach the final of the World T20 in Dhaka where they lost to Sri Lanka.
Then there's the constant needling from some former cricketers, who blame the cash-rich Indian Premier League for all the ills that plagues modern cricket. The latest to do so was England great Ian Botham who expressed his disgust at the glamorous league during the course of the MCC Spirit Of Cricket lecture where he called for the tournament to be scrapped.
The BCCI gave a fitting ri poste exposing to the England legend's double standards by questioning his role in promoting Adam Sanford's illfated T20 venture in the West Indies where the players were conned by the Texas tycoon, who now lives behind bars for huge financial irregularities.
The Indian players do take a lot of pride playing in the IPL for whatever reasons and this game provides them an opportunity to get back at the critics who have derided the enormously popular tournament. That said, team director Ravi Shastri and Dhoni have interesting choices to make while picking the final XI for the game.
Will they give the young and promising Sanju Samson and leg-spinner Karn Sharma a look in? Or will they stick to the 'tired' and tested players.
Or will the think-tank allow the Champions League T20 bound players a nice workout before the tournament begins in India next week? Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohit Sharma (all Chennai Super Kings), Ambati Rayudu (Mumbai Indians), Umesh Yadav (Kolkata Knight Riders) will be part of the tournament. The match also provides the struggling Virat Kohli the last opportunity to finish a miserable tour on a high.
Bresnan ruled out England all-rounder Tim Bresnan has been ruled out of Sunday's T20 international against India with a strained shoulder, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Friday . "Bresnan will not be replaced in the squad for the match providing there are no concerns over the fitness of bowlers currently playing in the final match of the ODI series," the ECB said.