New Delhi: Down 1-0, England made a thrilling comeback in the ODI series as the visitors registered a crushing six-wicket win over India on Friday. After conceding the game from an advantageous position, Virat Kohli and boys will now look to make amends when they take the field in the series-deciding third ODI on Sunday at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
While India did score a mammoth 336/6 in the second ODI, the total was built on a slow start which saw the hosts scoring just nine runs in the first four overs. It was KL Rahul’s ton and Rishabh Pant’s blistering fifty that helped Team India finish on a high. And skipper Kohli did admit that it was a decent total and rued the lack of execution by the bowlers. The India skipper also refused to take the credit from the English side for the enthralling win.
On the other hand, despite having conceded 336 runs, there was no dent in England’s confidence. The visitors in the first half of their chase replicated what they did in the first ODI but ensured the English side didn’t collapse in a must-win game on Friday.
Since England had ticked all boxes, Team India might do some chopping and change going into the series decider keeping in mind the two things they need to focus on — a firing start with the bat and a good show with the ball in the powerplay. One thing the hosts must keep in mind is that for the first time in this tour, the winning momentum is with the visitors ahead of the series decider.
Match Info
Match: India vs England, 3rd ODI
Date: March 28, 2021
Time: 1:30 PM IST
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Predicted Playing XIs
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli , Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul , Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood/Tom Curran, Reece Topley.
Top Picks
Top Performer: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes
Captain: Jonny Bairstow, Virat Kohli
Vice-Captain: Ben Stoke, Rohit Sharma
Keeper: KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant
Batsmen: Virat Kholi, Dawid Malan, Rohit Sharma, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow
All-rounder: Ben Stokes
Bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, Reece Topley
