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The English fought back in spectacular fashion against an unchanged Indian side in the 2nd T20I. Though it was a very closely fought contest that went into the last over where Alex Hales triumphed over Bhuvneshwar Kumar, there might be changes to the playing XIs of both teams for the all-important 3rd and final T20I that will be the deciding match of the series.
With each team having won one of the previous T20Is, the pressure is on the selectors to pick the best possible XI to give the teams their best shot at winning the series.
Here are the predicted XIs and justifications for each choice for the 3rd T20I between India and England at Bristol.
Indian Playing XI
Top Order
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan had a good IPL season, especially towards the latter half. He followed the good string of performances up with a century against a young Afghanistan side in their inaugural Test match and blitzed a 74 (45) in the T20I against Ireland.
He misfired in the first two T20Is against England but the management will likely back him to fire in the upcoming clutch match. If Dhawan’s performances in ICC competitions are anything to go by, he is a good player under pressure.
Rohit Sharma/KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma had a mediocre season with the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2018, but showed signs of a return to form with his 97 against Ireland. Since that Ireland innings, however, he has managed a two-ball duck against Ireland, just over a run-a-ball 32 and 5 (9) in the three innings he has played since.
He might still be backed to open in the 3rd T20I but there is a possibility of Dinesh Karthik being drafted into the team to replace Rohit on the back of Karthik’s excellent IPL form and moving KL Rahul up the order to open with Dhawan.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul has been in excellent form both in the IPL and in the following T20Is. He fell cheaply against England in the 2nd T20I, managing 6 (8) before falling to Liam Plunkett, missing a hoick that left his stumps in a mess. He still seemed to be in good nick, playing an exquisite drive through the covers.
However, Rahul is almost certain to play the next match owing to his consistent performances recently.
Middle Order
Virat Kohli (C)
Virat Kohli seemed to be back in form in the 2nd T20I, top scoring for India with a 38 ball 47 that included two sixes. Unless Rohit or Dhawan are dropped in favour of bringing in Karthik, Kohli will likely remain at the No. 4 position.
His return to form is a promising sign for India and they will hope that he plays a captain’s innings in the 3rd T20I to guide them towards victory.
Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was peppered with short balls, a well-documented weakness, by the English fast bowlers throughout his innings in the second T20I, but he was able to negate the threat effectively by shuffling across his stumps repeatedly and even hit a short ball off Jake Ball for 6. His 27 off 20 was instrumental in helping India build up a decent total as he came in after the fall of 3 quick wickets. Raina’s offspin could also come in handy for an over or two against England in the last match.
MS Dhoni
On the eve of his 38th birthday, Dhoni rolled back the years with a brutal assault in the last over of the first innings which went for 22 runs. There was some struggle before the final assault as wasn’t able to dispatch the bowling, but he pulled through in the final over to help India reach a defendable score, though it was likely a few runs below par.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya played a handy role with the bat at the tail end of the Indian innings, smacking a straight six when Chris Jordan missed his yorker length, and followed that up with a good return of 1/28 in his 4 overs. He will be looking to back up his tidy performance in the 2nd T20I with a match-winning one in the decider.
Bowling Attack
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled 3 exceptional overs in his first 3 overs in the 2nd T20I, going for only 7 runs and picking up a wicket, including an 18th over that gave away only 3 runs and got the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. However, in the last over with 12 runs required to win, he was unable to get the better of Alex Hales who sealed the match for England with a 6 and a 4 off the first two deliveries. Kumar will be eager to redeem himself in the 3rd T20I.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal had a good outing against England in the 2nd T20I after being on the expensive side in the first match. He outfoxed Joe Root, who is usually a good player of spin, with a googly that beat Root’s sweep. His return to form is welcome for India as they look to clinch the series tomorrow.
Kuldeep Yadav
England played Kuldeep Yadav’s left arm leg spin much better in the 2nd T20I and this could very well have been the difference between the first and second match. The English side used Merlyn to help counter the spin threat and it seems to have been beneficial. However, Kuldeep has been in great form leading up to the previous match and he would likely have been working on plans to flummox the English batsmen which he has shown that he is capable of doing.
Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav bowled exceptionally well at the death against England in the 2nd T20I, nailing his yorkers 5 out of 6 times in the penultimate over against Hales and Willey, going for only 8 runs. He also picked up two wickets – the crucial one of destructive openers Roy and Buttler, after an expensive over first up.
He looks most threatening when pitching the ball up and with England traditionally being conducive to swing bowling, he will be looking to exploit that against them in the final T20I.
English Playing XI
Top Order
Jason Roy
Jason Roy has been close to his explosive best in the T20Is against India and Australia, making rapid starts but he has not converted them into a big score yet. His strike rate, however, has been high and with England going all guns blazing, Roy will likely be backed to fire against India in the decider.
Jos Buttler (WK)
Jos Buttler has been in excellent form recently and though he missed out against India in the 2nd T20I, he will be looking to take on the attack and make plenty of runs in the 3rd T20I. His wicket remains one of the most, if not the most important one for the Indian side and they will be looking to remove Buttler early before he wreaks havoc.
Joe Root/Ben Stokes
Joe Root has not been at his usual best recently, especially in the first two T20Is against India where he has been dismissed cheaply.
With Ben Stokes returning from injury with a bang, scoring 90 off 68 for Durham against Yorkshire in the Vitality Blast, Root might have to make way for Stokes.
Middle Order
Alex Hales
Alex Hales struggled to get going against India in the first T20I but he was instrumental in the English triumph in the second match, guiding the side to victory with a calm and collected 58 (41) as wickets fell around him. With an explosive top order before him and equally fearsome middle order to follow, Hales will be looking to play his natural aggressive game and take the fight to the Indian bowlers.
Eoin Morgan (C)
Eoin Morgan has not scored heavily in the first two T20Is, but helped to stabilise and guide England towards victory in the second T20I along with Alex Hales, in their 48 run partnership. He will be looking to convert his starts into a match-winning innings in the decider.
Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow has been one of England’s best batsmen of late and his blitzing cameo where he made 28 (18) in the second T20I helped England secure the game. He is an almost certain starter for the last match and adds even more firepower to an already strong English batting lineup.
David Willey
English all-rounder David Willey has had a great series thus far, scoring a rapid 29 (15) in the first match and striking the winning runs in the previous match in addition to being one of England’s best bowlers thus far. His left arm pace was exceptionally tight in the second match, where he had excellent returns of 1/18 in his four overs.
Bowling Attack
Chris Jordan
Chris Jordan bowled very well in the first T20I but was more expensive in the second match, going for 34 runs in his 4 overs. However, he has a reputation of being a good death bowler and was true to that in the penultimate over where he hit his yorkers consistently other than the one delivery that Hardik Pandya deposited into the stands.
Liam Plunkett
Plunkett was the pick of the English bowlers, along with Willey in the second T20I, as he conceded only 17 in his four, in addition to picking up the prized wicket of KL Rahul. After being on the expensive side in the first T20I, Plunkett seems to be hitting his line and length well and will be key for England’s hopes in the final T20I.
Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid had been in great bowling form leading up to the T20I series against India and has carried that on in the first two matches. Though Kohli and Dhoni managed to strike a few into the boundary in the second game, he was otherwise very disciplined in his line and length, bowling primarily googlies that were hard to dispatch.
Jake Ball/Moeen Ali
Brought in as a replacement for Moeen Ali, Jake Ball had bowled well until the last over of the Indian innings, which went for 22, where his back of a length deliveries were put away by MS Dhoni. It remains to be seen if Ball gets another game or Ali comes back into the side for the decider since Ali is handy with the bat in hand as well.
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