Aiming to seal a series-clinching victory, India take on England in the third ODI in Cuttack on Sunday. The hosts lead, after bagging a four-wicket win in the first ODI. The first ODI saw Virat Kohli pull out at the last minute due to a knee problem, and he was replaced by ODI debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal. Meanwhile, Harshit Rana also made his ODI debut for India.
Chasing 249 runs, India eased to 251/6 in 38.4 overs, courtesy of a knock of 87 runs off 96 balls by Shubman Gill. No. 3 batter also smacked four fours. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar Patel (52) also made handy contributions with the bat.
Initially, three-wicket hauls from Ravindra Jadeja and Rana saw India restrict England to 248 runs in 47.4 overs. Meanwhile, Jos Buttler (52) and Jacob Bethell (51) got half-centuries for the visitors.
In the second ODI, we could see Yashasvi Jaiswal make way for Kohli, who is expected to return to the playing XI. Jaiswal could only muster 15 runs off 22 balls in the first fixture. Shubman Gill will open with skipper Rohit Sharma, who was dismissed for two runs off seven balls in the previous game.
Kohli will slot in at no. 3 as usual, followed by the resurgent Iyer. He was in top form in the previous fixture, but has never been India’s first-choice, despite being a crucial cog in the recent ODI World Cup at home. He is expected to keep his spot in the playing XI. KL Rahul will come in at no. 5 and will also don the gloves.
Hardik Pandya will slot in at no. 6, followed by Axar and Jadeja. The trio will be the designated all-rounders, with Pandya supporting the pacers. Meanwhile, Axar and Jadeja will also be assigned spin duties. The tailenders will consist of Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami.
India’s playing XI vs England, 2nd ODI:
Batters: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer
Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja
Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami
