Mahendra Singh Dhoni sustained a thumb injury just a day before 4th ODI against England at Mohali, has recovered well enough to play against them in final ODI. In fact, the Indian skipper was seen actively participating in a soccer session at the picturesque stadium here dispelling doubts about his participation in the final one-day match.
According to media reports, Dhoni has sustained injuries in the past during the training sessions but has shown enough grit to come out and lead the side admirably.
“There were doubts about the Indian captain's participation in the third one-dayer against Pakistan in New Delhi earlier this month and Dinesh Karthik was flown in as a cover.
However, the skipper not only led the side but was also awarded man-of-the-match for his captaincy. It was after a long time that the Indian players looked a happy unit while playing their customary football match unlike some of the other times when it looked as if they are going through a routine drill,” says a report in India Express.
Meanwhile according to the reports of Deccan Chronicle, curator Sunil Chauhan was quoted saying that, “The pitch is expected to help the batsmen and with the sun beating down, it can become conducive for strokeplay.”
However, the open nature of the ground and the cool morning breeze will also keep the seamers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Steven Finn interested on a strip that curator Sunil Chauhan termed as "sporting wicket", as per the reports published in Times of India.
Someone like Rohit Sharma, who tends to get lost easily when he goes through those prolonged rough phases, was seen enjoying the most and rightly so after his excellent performance at the top of the order in Mohali.
Virat Kohli was hit by the football and he was out of action for a brief period of time before the match resumed again.