3rd ODI: England opts to bat as India eyes clean sweep; Sundar, Arshdeep, Kuldeep return

AHMEDABAD: England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to field against India in the third and final ODI of the series at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday.

India, who have already won the series with a 2-0 lead, have a chance to complete a clean sweep. Since 2020, teams batting second in Ahmedabad have won five times, while teams batting first have secured three wins.

Rohit Sharma said he would have preferred to bat first and put runs on the board after bowling first in the previous two games.

“It was important for us to get a win in the last game. The fielders portrayed themselves well in the last two games, a lot of young blood. We want to continue to do well in the field. (On Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy) They are pretty new in their careers so we want to keep the pressure away from them, let them do their own and they have got a lot of potential. We have made some changes – Jadeja and Shami have been rested. Unfortunately, Varun has a sore calf. So, Washi, Kuldeep, and Arshdeep come into the side”, Rohit said in the toss.

Jos Buttler explained his decision to bowl first, considering the conditions and preparation for the Champions Trophy.

“We are gonna bowl first today. (On whether the expected dew has influenced his decision to bowl first) Little bit maybe, it may spin a bit later. We have batted first in the first two games so it will be a different experience today ahead of the Champions Trophy. It’s a decent wicket, we played New Zealand in the World Cup a few years ago, it was a black soil pitch and it played better in the second half. We have one change — Tom Banton comes in for Jamie Overton into the side”, Buttler said.

India has made three changes, with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami rested, while Varun Chakravarthy is out due to a sore calf. Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Arshdeep Singh come into the playing XI. England has made one change, with Tom Banton replacing Jamie Overton. India will look to finish the series on a high, while England will aim to avoid a whitewash.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana.

England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Tom Banton, Liam Livingstone, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood. (ANI)