Daijiworld Media Network

Edgbaston, Jun 23: A warm welcome to one and all for the final of the Champions Trophy between England and India from Edgbaston. India have remained unbeaten so far in this tournament and they will look to round off a perfect campaign by winning this tournament. If they manage to lift the trophy, they will be the second team in the history of the game, after the West Indies, to have won all the three ICC trophies.

England, on the other hand, will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2004 Champions Trophy final, where they narrowly lost to the West Indies by two wickets. The team put up a clinical display against South Africa and they will look to keep the powerful Indian batting under check.

England have won the toss and elected to field.

Dhoni: 'I thought you were asking about my bowling run-up (when inquired about India's progress in this tournament). We have done the small things right and we are looking forward to the game. It was an important toss. We would have bowled first. We are playing the same team.'

Cook: 'Everyone is ready and we have enjoyed the tournament. We will bowl first. The pitch has been under covers and there will be some help for the bowlers. Bresnan replaces Finn.'

Unfortunately, the fickle weather has decided to act up again. It has started to rain at the ground.

Teams:

England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook(c), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler(w), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Pitch Report: Sourav Ganguly says, 'It is a well-rolled pitch. There was a bit of grass but it has been removed. There is some moisture on this track and it looks well prepared. The team that wins the toss should bowl first.'

However, things are not so bright at Edgbaston. It was a grey morning and it was raining in the days leading upto the final. The weather is not all promising today and there will be some stoppages as the game progresses.

Match Preview:

India:

Team News: The Indian team left for England as the dark cloud of the spot-fixing controversy hung low over them. The captain was torn apart by the media for avoiding questions on the tainted cricketers while the BCCI pulled all stops to ensure that the contingent traveling to England for the Champions Trophy was kept away from the glare of the press and any other distraction that threatened to malign the reputation of the world champions any further.

In such a set-up did India start their campaign in a tournament that was in its last edition. Never had MS Dhoni's men done justice to their talent after the IPL and yet another stern test awaited them in hostile conditions, where they had been exposed two years ago. Only three from the present squad - Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Dhoni were part of World Cup winning side of 2011. No Tendulkar, no Sehwag, no Gambhir, no Zaheer, no Yuvraj. It was time for the next generation to stand up and be counted.

The new-look India side have done it and in style.

Led by Shikhar Dhawan, a young batting line-up has done wonders. The southpaw has batted like a man possessed and showed the world that his blistering century on Test debut against Australia was no fluke. Rohit Sharma, who has been in the line of fire for not realising his talent, finally came good at the top of the order, and with Dhawan helped India to rock solid opening partnerships, while Dinesh Karthik showed he was ready for another stint at international cricket with back-to-back tons in the warm-up games and a composed half-century in the group stages. Kohli has not been in the thick of things like Dhawan has, but he has done his bit. His solid half-century in the side's chase against Sri Lanka was testimony to his grit and abilities in swinging conditions. The fact that Raina and Dhoni have not been called on to do much work is indication of the sublime form of the top-order.

The surprise package for the team has been the bowling department. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has swung the ball prodigiously while Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have worked up some serious pace. Ravindra Jadeja continued the good work from the home series against Australia, with 10 wickets in four games, and he has been ably assisted by R Ashwin in the spin department. The fielding, too, has been exceptional, with the likes of Dhawan, Rohit, Raina, Kohli, and Karthik manning the 30-yard circle like tigers. Never has there been an easy run for the opposition batsmen with these five men on the prowl.

It would be fair to say that a lot of the pain felt after the spot-fixing scandal erupted last month has eased off, thanks to some breathtaking cricket. If India were to put it across England Sunday (June 23), they will create history. If the last edition of the Champions Trophy is bagged by the world champions after a period of gloom and despair, it will not only add to the legend of their captain, but also mark the rest of the team as a force to reckon with in the years to come.

Key players: Shikhar Dhawan has stamped his class all over England. A century against South Africa, followed by another against West Indies, a 48 against Pakistan and a 68 against Sri Lanka means the Delhi opener has accumulated 332 runs from four games at an average of nearly 111 and is far ahead of the rest of the pack in the run-scoring stakes - Kumar Sangakkara, with 222 runs is a distant second while Jonathan Trott, in third place with 209 runs, will have to score a big hundred to challenge the Indian southpaw's reign at the top. The bowling department will once again depend on the resourceful Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has struck regularly with the new ball, the in-form Ishant Sharma (fresh from a Man of the Match award in the semi-final) and the spin of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandra Ashwin to make deep inroads into the England batting.

Weak Links: Such has been India's dominance in the tournament that it seems virtually impossible to identify a weak link in the side. That said, it needs to be said that the middle-order has remained largely untested, what with the bowlers and Dhawan doing the bulk of the damage for India, Raina and Dhoni have each had a bat in only one game - the opener against South Africa. So in case India were to lose early wickets, it would be interesting to see how these two seasoned campaigners steady their nerves and the team under pressure.

England:

Team News: While India are playing in their third Champions Trophy final, it will a second chance for England. Apart from a World T20 title, the English have never won any other major ICC silverware. The tie against the world champions on Sunday will be enough motivation for them to try and set that sorry record right. With the first leg of the Ashes round the corner, Alastair Cook, would love to kick-start the summer with a resounding ICC Champions Trophy win over the top ODI side in the world.

Unlike India, England have not been flamboyant on the road to the final, but they have played solid, winning cricket. Jonathan Trott has been the main man with the bat, collecting 209 runs so far. He sits on third place on the table of top run scorers. The bowling, as always, has been led with aplomb by the heroic James Anderson. Cook, Root, and Ian Bell have made adequate if not outstanding contributions with the bat, while Ravi Bopara (S/R: 144 ) has done an excellent job at the finish.

England's bowlers had a disappointing day out against the Sri Lankans, when they could not defend a total of nearly 300, but they have come back well since and dismissed South Africa for 175 in the semi-final.

All said and done there seems little the English camp needs to be overly concerned about - give or take their known vulnerability against the bowling of Jadeja. Still, it's fair to say two evenly-matched sides will clash in the final of what has so far been a great tournament (give or take a few rain delays). The final should be a tight one with both sides playing some great cricket.

Key players: Without a shadow of doubt Trott and Anderson. While Trott has been the rock in the England batting line-up, Anderson has been skillful and incisive as ever with the ball. Two of England's most senior pros have stood up and delivered in a high-profile tournament. Cook, too, should be reasonably pleased with his own form and that of young Root's - the 22-year-old has been consistent with the bat and promises to be a big match player with his ice-cool temperament.

Weak links: Stuart Broad has had a rather ordinary time in the middle. Expected to be a key asset with the ball in the Ashes, Broad has been a disappointment in the Champions Trophy. His figures in the semi-final may well read 3/50, but two of those wickets were of tail-enders and South Africa were bowled out for a paltry 175; in other words, Broad leaked more than a quarter of those runs.

Quotes: 'I hope we are peaking. There's obviously still a lot of cricket left this summer, and I hope it will be a great one for England.'- Jonathan Trott

'Obviously, the support in the team, and the support from the captain is very crucial for any player, not only for me. I think MS is always supporting every youngster in the team. So I think he's been tremendous with everyone.' - Ishant Sharma