London [UK], July 19 (ANI): England won the toss and decided to bat first against India in the third and final ODI match of the ongoing series at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on Sunday.
Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah had an impact injury on his left knee while fielding in the second ODI in Cardiff and was not available for selection for the third ODI due to reactive swelling in his left knee.
KL Rahul, who missed the second ODI, returned to the side after Washington Sundar was not available for selection due to his injury. Prine Yadav and Arshdeep Singh also returned to the playing XI.
The Harry Brook-led English side made one change as Josh Tongue replaced Saqib Mahmood in the playing XI.
After winning the toss, England skipper Harry Brook said, “We’re going to have a bat today. It looks like a good surface; hopefully, we can get a decent score on the board and put them under pressure.”
On England’s playing XI, Brook said, “Tongue comes back in for Saqib.”
Indian skipper Shubman Gill said, “We would have bowled. Boom misses out due to a knee injury. KL, Prince and Arshdeep come in. We were looking to play four seamers. We were in a great position and lost too many wickets.”
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue
India and England lock horns in the decisive third ODI at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, with the three-match series level at 1-1 after two closely fought contests.
The decider has added significance for both sides, with England banking on the outstanding form of Joe Root, who remains unbeaten in the series after scores of 76 not out and 99 not out in the first two matches.
India, meanwhile, will once again look towards the experienced duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Kohli looked in fine touch during his fluent half-century earlier in the series, while Rohit heads into the Lord’s clash amid speculation surrounding his ODI future, although neither the Indian team management nor the veteran opener has made any official announcement.
With the ODI World Cup less than a year away, Sunday’s contest offers both teams an opportunity to claim an important bilateral series victory while also building momentum ahead of a packed international calendar. Lord’s, cricket’s most iconic venue, now provides the stage for what promises to be a fitting finale to an evenly balanced series. (ANI)
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