CUTTACK (India), Nov 25: A beleaguered England skipped training on Tuesday and held a brain-storming session ahead of the fifth One-day International against India in a series they trail 4-0.

England have already conceded the seven-game series but are desperate to avoid a whitewash and regain momentum before a two-Test series which follows the one-dayers.

“We had a meeting this morning and we thought it would be better to talk about and identify areas that have not gone quite right,” batsman Owais Shah told a news conference on Tuesday.

“Everyone feels they are hitting the ball okay and the bowlers feel alright. You are not going to forget how to play your shots overnight just because you don’t practice for one day.”

The 30-year-old Middlesex batsman has been a rare success in a dismal England campaign, scoring 58, 40 and a 48-ball 72 in the last three games.

He urged his team-mates to stay focused for the day-night game in the eastern Indian town.

“Sport at this level is more mental than anything you do in the field,” he said. “We feel if we can make the mental adjustments it should put us in a better frame of mind to go and perform tomorrow.”

India could make some changes to rest regulars and give all rounder Irfan Pathan, batsman Virat Kohli or left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha their first games in the series.

There could be a further reshuffle for the last two matches, in Guwahati on Saturday and New Delhi on Dec 2.

Indian vice-captain Virender Sehwag said coach Gary Kirsten wants the hosts to play with the same intensity even though the seven-match series had been comfortably won already.

“Gary said we should see the remaining matches as a three-match series and try to win them all,” Sehwag said ahead of the match at the Barabati Stadium in this coastal eastern town.

England, meanwhile, will use the remaining games to get used to the fervent atmosphere in South Asian cricket ahead of the World Cup, and save themselves from further criticism at home.

“Some of the lads have not played a great deal in India, played in front of these type of crowds with the attention on cricket you get over here,” said all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

“The World Cup is over here in a few years’ time, so the more opportunities to play out here and develop your skills on these type of wickets, the more it will be beneficial to this group of lads.”

Flintoff said a good display in the remaining one-dayers will help England gather momentum for the two-Test series starting in Ahmedabad on Dec 11.

“We have got three games left in this series and we are going to have to get something out of them,” the Lancashire star said.

“We can’t win the series, so it’s down to our own personal pride and also trying to gain some momentum going into the Test series.” Flintoff, however, warned team-mates not to think of the Test matches just yet.

“I think it would be dangerous to think about anything other than these one-day matches because we could get found out even more,” he said.

“The way India have played, they’ve been ruthless. They have outplayed us in every department.”—Agencies