An exciting battle awaits as India and England clash in the third ODI on Sunday, with the series on the line.
England showed their mettle in the second ODI, as the visitors produced an incredible display of batting, chasing down a steep target of 337 runs with 6.3 overs to spare. With a batting collapse in the first ODI and the absence of their captain Eoin Morgan for the rest of the ODI series, England were staring at 0-3 defeat at India’s hands.
However, the reigning World Champions showed their class on Friday, as they took just 43.3 overs to chase down a target of 337 runs. Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy got the visitors off to a blistering start once again as they put up a 110-run stand for the opening wicket. Bairstow was adjudged the Player of the Match for his knock of 124 runs. Ben Stokes was at his best as he smashed the Indian bowlers all around the park. He was unfortunate to miss out on his century by just one run, as he caught behind by Rishabh Pant on 99 runs.
The hosts put up a strong batting display, with KL Rahul scoring a century. Virat Kohli failed to convert his half-century into a big innings yet again, as he was dismissed for 66 runs. Pant, who replaced the injured Shreyas Iyer in the second ODI, was at his attacking best as he scored 77 runs off just 40 balls.
The Indian bowlers were not up to the task on Friday. They failed to pick up early wickets and bowled a lot of loose deliveries upfront. Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya have not done well so far with the ball in the series and failed to maintain any pressure on the English batsmen on Friday as well.
Key Players
Rohit Sharma has got off to two good starts in the ODI series so far. It is not often that the Hitman does not convert a good start into a huge innings. However, the opener has lost his wicket in the 20s in the opening two ODIs. In the first match, he was dismissed for a score of 28 runs, whereas, in the second ODI, he could manage to score just 25 runs. Rohit was looking in good touch in the last game, scoring five boundaries during his short stay at the crease. Given his quality, he is undoubtedly due for a big knock on Sunday.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned to the Indian squad after struggling with injuries in the past year, had been impressive in the T20I series. In the first ODI, the right-arm pacer delivered impressive figures of two wickets for 30 runs in his nine over spell. In the second ODI, he had a rare off-day as he conceded 63 runs in his ten overs, while picking up just one wicket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have to be spot on with his tactics in the third ODI, to stop the English onslaught.
Jonny Bairstow is the highest run-getter of the ODI series so far, scoring 218 runs in two innings. After missing out on a hundred in the first game, the English batsman decimated the Indian bowling attack, scoring 124 runs on Friday, which earned him the Player of the Match award. Bairstow has been neutralizing the threat posed by the Indian spin attack, and is brimming with confidence.
Ben Stokes’ knock of 99 runs on Friday is just an example of the attacking style of cricket which England have adopted in the past six years. The English all-rounder, coming in at number three, quickly took matters into his own hands as he batted the hosts out of the game. He smashed ten sixes and four boundaries in his innings. Stokes will have to come up with another match-winning performance on Sunday if the World Champions are to defeat a formidable Indian side.
Prediction
On paper, the hosts are certainly the stronger of the two sides, given that England are missing the likes of Eoin Morgan and Jofra Archer. The Indian side, who are without the services of their key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Shami and Ravindra Jadeja, have found a way to win the T20I series and have done well so far in the ODI series.
At the heart of India’s problems lies their inability to take wickets in the opening stages of the innings. Jason Roy and Bairstow have gone out with a clear mindset to attack the opposition bowlers. Although, they managed to pull things back in the first ODI, yet things did not work out in the last ODI.
Yuzvendra Chahal certainly needs to be picked on Sunday after Kuldeep Yadav’s disastrous outing in the second ODI. Kuldeep failed to get his length correct and either bowled short or right in the slot, something the English batsman would not miss. The hosts’ batting has been up to the mark and if they can put up a strong bowling display in the third ODI, they can walk away with the series on Sunday.
