NEW DELHI: Team India will be hoping for a series clean-sweep of England as well as a big knock from Virat Kohli‘s currently silent bat when the two teams play the third and final ODI in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, the end of their Champions Trophy build-up.
India have won each of the first two ODIs by identical four-wicket margins, giving them an insurmountable 2-0 lead. However, Rohit Sharma‘s team will be especially motivated to win at the Narendra Modi Stadium, where they lost the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
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Naturally, a victory with their batting stalwart, Kohli, among runs would be the ideal way to round off the home team’s Champions Trophy preparations. According to a hybrid hosting format, the eight-team competition begins on February 19 in Karachi, with India playing Bangladesh the next day in Dubai.
Rohit’s return to form has already given the team a boost. After a protracted sequence of low scores, his 90-ball 119 in the second ODI was a welcome relief to him and the team.
Though he hasn’t remained at the crease long enough to give himself a chance for a big innings, Kohli hasn’t appeared wholly out of touch.
Kohli has a chance to set yet another record if he can click. In what has been perhaps the run-machine’s favorite format, he is just 89 runs away from being just the third batter in history to reach 14,000 runs.
As they continue to utilize their vast talent pool, India doesn’t appear to have made a mistake in this series.
Mohammed Shami‘s comeback from a protracted injury layoff has also gone smoothly, and the arrival of Varun Chakravarthy has strengthened their deadly spin assault, which will be essential for the Champions Trophy.
Given that the Indian team management would be anxiously awaiting word on the availability of their star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the Champions Trophy on Tuesday, Shami’s triumphant return has undoubtedly been reassuring.
Bumrah was supposed to make a return in the Ahmedabad ODI according to the original schedule, but the star pacer is now working hard at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru under the close supervision of experts in hopes of making the final team that will be announced on Wednesday.
No team in the world can match Bumrah’s skill on a variety of wickets and situations, and India will be itching to regain their trump card as they aim to win another ICC championship.
In order to rest and recover, India and England have foregone training and other pre-match procedures, so they will both get Tuesday off.
Rohit’s confidence will undoubtedly spread to the rest of the team after he concluded his problematic batting streak with a signature hundred in Cuttack.
India would anticipate improved performance and application from wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who is currently experiencing a lean period, even though Yashasvi Jaiswal may continue to warm the bench.
However, it wouldn’t be shocking if India give the flamboyant Rishabh Pant a chance to play and added another left-handed batsman to the lineup to experiment with different combinations.
India will require Shreyas Iyer’s middle-order presence, which has been strengthened by Axar Patel’s strong batting displays. With performances of 52 and 41 not out in the two ODIs thus far, the 31-year-old all-rounder has demonstrated tremendous maturity at No. 5 under pressure.
Ravindra Jadeja, who has so far chipped away at England with six wickets, has been relieved of some of the load by Patel’s batting exploits. Jadeja has taken advantage of the spin-friendly circumstances to get ready for similar setups in the Champions Trophy.
However, this tour has brought up more questions than Jos Butter’s England would have anticipated.
The outstanding work that the opening duo of Phil Salt and Ben Duckett has been doing has been undone by England’s many implosions in their core batting lineup throughout the T20Is and ODIs.
Buttler says his squad is still improving, but they are further hampered by the injury that forced the exit of the promising Jacob Bethell.
Joe Root’s remarkable results have not had enough help from others, and Harry Brook has fluctuated greatly in the best batting conditions.
Adil Rashid has taken full advantage of the conditions as a bowler, but it will be up to the England hitters to put on a cohesive display.
Teams (from):
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy
England: Jos Buttler (c&wk), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Philip Salt, Jamie Smith (wk), Tom Banton, Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood