India vs England: India's predicted playing XI for third ODI

Just like the T20Is, the ongoing ODI series between India and England will be also decided by the last game of the series. England, on Friday, thrashed India by six wickets in the second ODI to draw level in the three-match series. The visitors came up with an unbelievable effort with the bat as they chased down 337 inside 44 overs to keep the series alive.

In-form Jonny Bairstow slammed a hundred while Ben Stokes smashed 99 off just 52 balls to lead England’s charge. The momentum will be definitely with England after their thumping win but India are more than capable of bouncing back. With the series on the line, another cracking game is on the cards. So before the game takes place, we are taking a look at India’s probable lineup for the third ODI.

India’s predicted XI for the third ODI against England

Openers – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan

Both the India openers failed to get going in the second ODI which hurt India’s momentum at the start of their innings. Just like the first ODI, both the batsmen started cautiously but unlike the first ODI, they could not give India a good start. Shikhar Dhawan was the first to depart.

The southpaw, who had played a fine knock of 98 in the series-opener, departed for just 4 in the second game. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, got the start once again but failed to capitalize on it.

The right-handed batsman hit five boundaries to race away to 25 off 24 balls before Sam Curran ended his stay at the crease. With the series on the line, India would be hoping that their senior openers deliver in the upcoming game.

Middle-order batsmen – Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant:

Skipper Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are set to form India’s middle-order in the third ODI. The trio had good outings in the last game and would be looking to continue their form in the must-win clash.

Kohli scored his second fifty of the series and was out for 66 as his century drought extended further. Rahul, on the other hand, top-scored for the hosts. The right-handed batsman, who had scored an unbeaten 62 in the first ODI, scored 108 in the second game.

Pant, who replaced Shreyas Iyer in the team, made the most of the opportunity and slammed 77 off just 40 deliveries to guide India to the big total during crucial hours.

All-rounders – Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar:

India are likely to make one change in the all-rounders’ category by replacing Krunal Pandya with Washington Sundar. Krunal, who had made a stunning ODI debut during the first game, had a poor outing in the second one.

With the bat, he scored an unbeaten 12 before being taken to the cleaners by the England batsmen. The southpaw conceded 72 runs in just 6 overs. He also conceded 34 runs in one over during the game and is likely to make way for Washington Sundar.

Sundar’s inclusion will also give the team more options to try out with the new ball after the failure to get early breakthroughs in the first two games. As far as Hardik is concerned, he looked in good touch with the bat during the second ODI and would be eyeing another good outing.

Bowlers – Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna

India’s bowlers had a tough outing in the second game and would be desperate to make amends in the third ODI against England which will be a series decider.

The team-management is also likely to make one change to the bowling lineup by bringing in Yuzvendra Chahal to replace out-of-form Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep went wicketless in the second match while conceding 84 runs in ten overs.

Prasidh Krishna was the only Indian bowler who managed to finish the game with an economy of less than 6. He was also India’s most successful bowler with two wickets to his name.