England Women vs India Women 3rd ODI Prediction: Who will win today's ENG-W vs IND-W match?

With only pride to play for after conceding a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, India Women take on England Women in the final ODI at Worcester on Saturday, July 3.

The hosts have been clinical so far in the series. A fluent fifty from Tammy Beaumont and a supporting act from Nat Sciver led England to an authoritative eight-wicket win in the opening game, before Kate Cross' five-wicket haul and a brilliant innings from ODI newbie Sophia Dunkley helped Heather Knight's side seal the series with one game to spare.

England find themselves in the same position that they were in against New Zealand Women earlier this year, with a dead rubber to test out new combinations and players. With several first-choice stars having taken part in the preceding one-off Test as well, rest and rotation might be the name of the game in the 3rd ODI.

India, too, will want to test out some new players, but for vastly different reasons. A second successive one-sided defeat in the ODI format hasn't gone down well with the team management and fans, with several fingers being pointed at the underperforming players in the XI.

Greenhorns like Indrani Roy and Priya Punia might get an opportunity to show what they're made of, while the experienced heads in the side will want to put in a convincing performance ahead of the T20I series against the same opposition.

The 3rd T20I between India and England promises to be a more tightly contested encounter than the previous games in this series, because of the differing needs and plans of the two teams.

---

England Women vs India Women 3rd ODI Prediction: Who will triumph in the final ODI at Worcester?

England will be happy to see the back of Shafali Verma early

India haven't even sniffed a win in this series. The closest they have come was in the 2nd ODI, where a few quick middle-order wickets left Dunkley and Katherine Brunt with a lot of work to do. But the bowling attack couldn't keep the pressure on the English batters for sustained periods despite Harmanpreet Kaur making some astute captaincy decisions when Mithali Raj was off the field.

India's main problem has been in the batting department, with strike rotation and converting starts being the two biggest areas of concern. Raj has scored runs but at a sluggish pace, putting immense pressure on the batters below her to make up for the dwindling run rate. Punam Raut was replaced by Jemimah Rodrigues in the previous game, but the youngster's dismal run of form continued.

India have a few positives to take away though. Shafali Verma notched up her first score of note in ODIs, leaving fans salivating about the prospect of her becoming a regular across formats. If Smriti Mandhana doesn't throw her wicket away after starts, the visitors could have a formidable long-term opening partnership on their hands.

In the bowling department, Jhulan Goswami has been superb as usual, while Shikha Pandey bowled well in the 2nd ODI in the absence of third pacer Pooja Vastrakar. Unfortunately for India, the spin trio of Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav couldn't really impress, despite taking three of the five English wickets to fall.

England, meanwhile, don't have much scope for improvement. With almost all batters in pristine form, they could play freely in the final ODI. Lauren Winfield-Hill played a promising innings in the 2nd ODI even though Tammy Beaumont failed for the first time in what seems like an eternity, and that might keep Fran Wilson on the bench.

With Kate Cross appearing to seal the third pacer's role in the lead-up to the World Cup, fringe players like Natasha Farrant and Freya Davies could strap up for England in Worcester. Sarah Glenn has been a touch wayward this series and will have her eye on putting in an eye-catching display without much pressure on her shoulders. Sophie Ecclestone has consistently raked in wickets, so the spin department is covered despite Glenn's struggles.

If England had more players on the bench to bring into the XI, they might've entered the contest as the underdogs. But with Emily Arlott released for the squad and not many batting replacements on the bench, the hosts will be close to full strength.

India will welcome the opportunity to breathe some life into the playing XI through some rotations, but they probably won't be able to do enough to dethrone the red-hot home side. Although they could put up a fight and win the game, the signs point towards an England whitewash.

Prediction: England Women to win the 3rd T20I against India Women