New Delhi: India will look to bag their third win on the trot and seal the five-match series with an unassailable 3-0 lead when they lock horns with England in the 3rd T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday, January 28. It is expected to be a run-fest on a flat deck at the stadium where records tumbled recently when the Indian women’s team played an ODI series against Ireland.
India defeated England by seven wickets comfortably in the series opener at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata before making it two wins in a row with a thrilling two-wicket win in the 2nd T20I at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. Tilak Varma played a sublime knock under pressure and held his nerves under pressure to take India over the line in a tricky chase in the 2nd T20I.
Tilak’s unbeaten 72 was the only positive for India from an otherwise abysmal batting display from the hosts as Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya and skipper Suryakumar Yadav failed to deliver. Dhruv Jurel, who was trusted at no.5 too failed to make an impact and was dismissed cheaply after scoring just 4 runs in the game.
Shivam Dube to replace Jurel?
Shivam Dube is likely to replace Jurel in the playing XI after joining the squad as a replacement for the injured Rinku Singh. Dube has not played for India since July last year and was initially not named in the squad for the ongoing T20I series against England. Dube, a part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team last year, can be an ideal no.5 for the hosts with his big-hitting prowess.
Will Mohammed Shami return to action?
The mystery surrounding the absence of senior pacer Mohammed Shami was finally addressed by India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak in the pre-match presser in Rajkot on Monday. Kotak confirmed that there are no concerns regarding Shami’s fitness but a call regarding his participation in the 3rd T20I will be taken by head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Shami was selected in the T20I series against England to build his workload ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy 2025 next month. However, he didn’t make the cut in the playing XI for the first two T20Is against England for reasons unexplained. It remains to be seen if Shami will finally return to action on Tuesday or if India will once again go with Arshdeep Singh as the lone specialist pacer in their XI.
India’s predicted XI for the 3rd T20I vs England:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi/Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy
Will senior pacer Mohammed Shami finally return to action or will India once again head into the 3rd T20I against England with only Arshdeep Singh as the specialist pacer. Here is a look at India’s predicted playing XI for the match. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
