The third and final ODI between India and England will be played at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday, with the three-match series poised at 1-1. After India's win in the opening game, England bounced back in the second ODI to level the series and force a winner-takes-all decider in London. It has been a highly competitive series so far.
Joe Root scored an unbeaten 99 in the second match to anchor the chase and guided the hosts to a crucial win to level the series. India, meanwhile, have been dealt a setback ahead of the series decider, with all-rounder Washington Sundar ruled out due to injury. The series is on the line, both teams will be aiming to produce their best performance in what promises to be an exciting game at the Home of Cricket.
India's Predicted XI for 3rd ODI against England
Ahead of the crucial third ODI we take a look at the probable playing XI for India in this series decider.
Openers (Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill)
Indian captain Shubman Gill is all set to open with Rohit Sharma. There has been a lot of discussion regarding Rohit and whether this will be his last ever ODI match. It remains to be seen what happens going forward, but as far as the third match is concerned these two will feature at the top of the order.
Shubman Gill has scored a half century in two matches and looked in good touch. Rohit has scored 37 runs in two matches this series. The opening partnership will be crucial. The Indian openers added 43 runs in the opening game, followed by a 44-run stand in the second ODI.
Middle Order ( Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer & KL Rahul )
Virat Kohli will play at the crucial No. 3 spot, and he looked in sublime touch, scoring 65 in the last game. Shreyas Iyer is likely to return to his original spot at No. 4, while KL Rahul, who missed the previous match, is likely to come back. These three will form the middle order for India and have been successful in the last few years in this format.
Shreyas Iyer has scored 101 runs in two matches this series, including a half-century in the last game. KL Rahul scored a duck in the opening match and had to miss the last game due to illness.
All-Rounders (Axar Patel & Shivam Dube)
Axar Patel, who was the Player of the Match in the opening match, will slot in at No. 6 in the absence of Washington Sundar, while Shivam Dube is expected to retain his spot as the pace-bowling all-rounder in this side. These two will play a crucial role in the lower middle order with the bat and also chip in with their bowling.
Axar is the leading wicket-taker in this series with five wickets, while also scoring 58 runs with the bat. Shivam Dube was dismissed for a duck in the last game but has picked up a few wickets in this series.
Bowlers (Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, & Gurnoor Brar)
Kuldeep Yadav is expected to return to the side as Sundar is ruled out, and the left-arm chinaman will be the leading spinner for India and bat at No. 8. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar, who have been excellent in both matches, will form the core of the bowling line-up.
These three pacers have picked up plenty of wickets in this series and will play a crucial role at Lord's, where the surface is expected to help the bowlers. Gurnoor Brar has scalped four wickets in two matches, while Prasidh Krishna has three wickets. Jasprit Bumrah has picked up two wickets in this series.
