Ahmedabad (Gujarat), February 12: In the third and final ODI of the series at the Narendra Modi Stadium, England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and decided to field first against India. With the series already secured by India (2-0 lead), they now have a chance to complete a clean sweep in this final match.
India, which has been in impressive form throughout the series, was asked about their preference by the toss winner, Rohit Sharma, who said he would have preferred to bat first, as they had done in the previous two games. However, he also acknowledged the importance of performing well in the field.
“It was important for us to get a win in the last game. The fielders portrayed themselves well in the last two games, with a lot of young blood. We want to continue to do well in the field,” said Rohit Sharma during the toss. He also mentioned changes to the team, with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami being rested, and Varun Chakravarthy missing out due to a sore calf. Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Arshdeep Singh were brought into the side.
On the other hand, Jos Buttler explained his decision to bowl first, noting that the conditions and preparation for the Champions Trophy were taken into account. “We are going to bowl first today. There may be a bit of spin later, and the dew factor might play a role,” Buttler said. He also acknowledged that this would be a different experience for England after having batted first in the previous two games. England made one change, with Tom Banton replacing Jamie Overton in the playing XI.
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
As the match progresses, both teams will be eager to either complete a series whitewash or avoid one, respectively.