IND vs ENG 2025: England name unchanged XI for third T20I

The third T20I between India and England is scheduled to be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. After going down in the first two matches of the five-game T20I series, the upcoming fixture is a make-or-break contest as far as the series is concerned.

On Monday, January 27, the ECB announced an unchanged playing combination which will be taking on the Indian outfit on Tuesday. This means that Jacob Bethell, who featured in the series opener, continues to stay unwell, with Jamie Smith poised to feature in his second game of the series. After a poor showing in Kolkata, Gus Atkinson continues to sit on the bench, with Brydon Carse getting another game under his belt.  

We have named an unchanged team for our third T20I v India as we look to pull one back in the series 🙌

The game will get underway at 13:30 GMT (19:00 local) in Rajkot tomorrow ⏰ pic.twitter.com/5LQJPO3s5B

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 27, 2025

Jos Buttler and the team management will desperately be hoping for other batters to step up as the series reaches its midpoint. The English white-ball skipper has been the top-scorer for them in both the games so far. Interestingly, he sits at top of the run-scoring chart by a significant distance.

England Playing 11 for 3rd T20I vs India: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid

India batting coach provides update on Mohammed Shami's fitness

Meanwhile, coming to the hosts' squad composition, one big question which is hovering around since the last couple of games is right-arm speedster Mohammed Shami's availability for the game in Rajkot, after the pacer missed on featuring in the XI for the first couple of games.

Also Read: IND vs ENG 2025: 3rd T20I, India vs England - Stats & Records at Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot

Meanwhile, the batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, has shared insights on Shami's status for the remainder of the series, and when India would see Shami making an international comeback.

"Mohammed Shami is fit. There is definitely a plan, looking at the coming matches as well. The ODIs, that is   something the coach Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav will take a call. Fitness, definitely not a problem. Depending on how they plan to build his load, it all depends on that," stated Kotak, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

For the unversed, Shami last featured for India in the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023. He was on a long injury layoff, and spent a lot of time recuperating from his ankle surgery. Things are explained to gain more clarity at the time of the toss tomorrow regarding the pacer's international comeback.