3rd T20I: India eye series win over England in Rajkot
What's the story
India and England are set to square off in the 3rd T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, on January 28.
The hosts lead the five-match series 2-0 after winning in Kolkata and Chennai.
It will be interesting to see if the Jos Buttler-led side posts a comeback in Rajkot. They have retained their Playing XI from the Chennai game.
Here's the preview.
Details
Venue details, pitch report, and conditions
The Niranjan Shah Stadium has hosted five T20Is so far. The pitch here is known to be batter-friendly, providing reasonable pace and bounce.
The average first-innings score in T20Is in Rajkot is 189. Chasing here can get tough as the second innings's conditions might vary.
There are no chances of rain throughout the game, with the temperature hovering around the 20 degree mark.
Information
Where to watch?
The Star Sports Network will broadcast the 3rd T20I live, while live-streaming is available on the Disney+ Hotstar app. The match begins at 7:00pm IST, with the toss taking place 30 minutes prior to the start.
Record
Here's the head-to-head record
Before the ongoing series, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side crushed England, in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final.
However, England had earlier defeated India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final by 10 wickets. Overall,
India have a slender lead over England in T20I encounters (15-11). On Indian soil, the hosts have eight wins and five defeats against the Brits.
India
Will Shami make a comeback?
Although India would not like to tinker with the winning combination, Shami's comeback is on the cards.
Shami, who eyes an international return, missed the first two matches as India remain cautious with him.
India's Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Dhruv Jurel/Mohammed Shami, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Information
England have announced their Playing XI
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wicket-keeper), Jos Buttler (captain), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Mark Wood.
Arshdeep
Arshdeep eyes 100-wicket mark
India's star left-arm seamer Arhsdeep is two shy of completing 100 wickets in T20I cricket. He is set to become the first-ever Indian with the 100-wicket mark.
If Arshdeep does so in the next game, he would become the joint third-fastest to this mark with Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga (63).
Arshdeep has taken 98 wickets in 62 T20Is so far.