England forced a decider with their 86-run victory over India at Lord’s over the weekend – a victory that showed the hosts were ready to go toe-to-toe with the star-studded tourists. India’s spinners were finally met with some resistance in the second match of the ODI series, with mystery tweaker Kuldeep Yadav going for 68 runs in his 10 overs. The third and final ODI takes places at Leeds on Tuesday. Read our preview below.
England v India
3rd ODI
Tuesday, 17 July – 13:30
Headingley, Leeds
To Win Match
England 21/20
Tie 35/1
India 82/100
England
England found a way to attack the India spinners at Lord’s and they will need to do something similar at Headingley, if they are to come away with the ODI series.
Batsman Alex Hales has been ruled out for the final match, which is likely to clear up any selection doubts England may have had heading into the decider.
Ben Stokes came into the team for Hales in the second match of the series, but would have replaced the batsman even if he hadn’t been sidelined by a side strain.
Middle-order batsman Dawid Malan has been released from the squad while James Vince, who has been in splendid form for Hampshire, has been recalled as cover for the injured Hales.
Led by Joe Root and skipper Eoin Morgan, England were able to be more aggressive against spinners Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal at Lord’s, which kept the home side competitive throughout the contest.
Root’s ton at Lord’s came at just the right time after he endured a difficult start to the visit of India in the T20Is and first ODI.
England’s ability to take wickets early on kept the pressure on India in the second match and they will be looking to Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett and David Willey to provide the cutting edge in Leeds.
Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid look set to do the lion’s share of the work during the middle overs, regardless of how much turn the pitch at Headingley offers to the slower bowlers.
Jos Buttler suffered a rare failure in the Lord’s victory but he has been in the form of his life throughout the English summer, coming off a maiden ODI century against Australia last month.
Opening batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy have been the bedrock of England’s successful ODI side and it will fall to them to seize the initiative whether they bat first or second in this decisive encounter.
India
India will want to bounce back from the drubbing they got at Lord’s with a strong batting display.
The top-order will need to front up to their failures against the new ball in London and come out all guns blazing.
It has been the rapid starts granted by Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma that have taken the pressure off the middle-order in the past, and the tourists will want them to bring their best game to the third ODI.
Skipper Virat Kohli was left frustrated with the showing at Lord’s as set batsmen gave their wickets away, leaving too much for finishers Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni to do.
Dhoni came in for a great deal of criticism for his 59-ball 37 in the face of a rising rate required in the previous encounter, leading some fans and pundits to suggest that his extraordinary finishing ability may be on the wane.
England have preferred to set targets when playing at home recently, while India favour chasing in almost all conditions, which could take the toss out of the equation for this crucial encounter.
While he went for 68 runs, Kuldeep still managed to take three England wickets in the second match and his left-arm wrist-spin will continue to be the biggest challenge for the opposition batsmen.
Kohli’s men lost the opportunity to take the number one ranking off England with the loss on Saturday, but the series is still on the line as they head up north for the third ODI.
The weather has been fantastic throughout the English summer – a trend that is forecast to continue in Leeds with warm temperatures and no rain expected during the scheduled hours of play.
Verdict: India 82/100
Expect to see a positive reaction from this extremely talented India team after they were humbled by England at Lord’s.
Written by Jonhenry Wilson for Hollywoodbets.
