Champions Trophy final, India vs England: The ODI story of Birmingham so far

It could be argued that it is a battle between India's batting and England's bowling but by and large, an even contest is on hands. Presuming the weather will not be a dampener, skills will be tested to the hilt, come Sunday. (Read: Match Preview)

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Win the toss, bat first, score decently and win the match - this has been the mantra at Edgbaston, Birmingham where India and England will go head-to-head in the battle to be the Champions Trophy champions, on Sunday. (Read: India odds on to beat England in final)

The only factor to be kept in mind though is the weather. The unpredictable English summer could have a bit of a bearing on the outcome as was seen in the inconsequential India vs Pakistan tie earlier in the tournament. There are some chances of rain predicted for Sunday's final as well. (Read: The last 10 ODIs between India and England show Men-in-Blue have upper hand)

The average score at the ground in the last ten matches is around 275 - with just two scores crossing the 300 figure. In one, England faced West Indies in the 2009 NatWest series and scored 328. Windies managed 270 before being bowled out. In the other, England thrashed Bangladesh in the 2010 NatWest series by 144 runs. The home side scored 347 in their innings.

First match gives the signs

In Champions Trophy 2013, Australia and England faced-off in a prelude to the Ashes. The match was sort of an eye opener for all other teams as the home side amassed 269, not a huge score by any stretch of the imagination. Australia though, found it really hard to score against the slower bowlers and the slower balls of the faster bowlers.

Ian Bell, the top-scorer in the match with 91, said that the pitch became difficult to score on as the match progressed. With the pitch being dry and overhead conditions favouring swing bowling, second innings batting is a bit of a challenge.

The trend continued

South Africa met Pakistan in the second of the matches at Edgbaston in Champions Trophy 2013. It was mostly the same situation as the England-Australia game. Hashim Amla's 81 guided the Proteas to 234 and a weak Pakistani batting could just manage 167.

Weather becomes a factor

Australia vs New Zealand encounter too was heading in the same direction after the Kangaroos scored 243 in their innings and the Kiwis were 51/2 in 15 overs, finding it hard to negotiate Clint McKay, James Faulkner and Xavier Doherty. Rain though, forced abandonment of that match.

The last of the clashes in Birmingham was the much anticipated but 'dead rubber' tie between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. India skipper MS Dhoni realised the situation accurately and went against the trend to choose bowling after winning the toss. Four rain interruptions, some pathetic Pakistan batting and impressive Indian bowling later, the match was easily grasped by the Men in Blue.

What could be in store when India battle England

Both the teams are in fine form before the title clash. It could be argued that it is a battle between India's batting and England's bowling but by and large, an even contest is on hands. Presuming the weather will not be a dampener, skills will be tested to the hilt, come Sunday.

Of the current Indian squad, only MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik played here in 2007 NatWest series - scoring 13 and 0 respectively. In the curtailed match of Champions Trophy 2013 against Pakistan, Shikhar Dhawan top-scored with 48 while R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - all were impressive with the ball.

In the last 10 ODIs at Edgbaston, Ian Bell has a couple of fifties while Jonathan Trott has a hundred (against Bangladesh though). James Anderson has 10 wickets in the last 5 matches he has played here.

The scenarios - all based on rain not being a factor

India win the toss and bat - Will look to score heavily at the top - Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in top form. Reach a target of around 270-280 and put pressure on English batting through Bhuvneshwar, Jadeja, Ashwin and Ishant. England though would want to restrict the Men in Blue to less than 230 and bank on their 'stable' batting line-up to take them home. James Anderson and James Tredwell will be the keys.

England win the toss and bat - Will look for a similar score as against Australia (269) - Ian Bell, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan being the keys. Then, will hope India batsmen wilt under pressure for once. India on the other hand will want to keep their impressive bowling form going and restrict England to around 220-230. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik then will be the key batsmen for India.