In the India vs England 3rd ODI in Leeds, Virat Kohli's men will look to plug the middle-order and death-over woes. Catch live action here
India vs England 3rd ODI : In the third One Day International (ODI) of the 3-match series, Virat Kohli-led India will look to plug their loopholes in the field when they take on Eoin Morgan’s England at the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds on Tuesday. If India win today’s match, it will be the team's 10th successive ODI series victory.
The 3-match series evenly poised
England levelled the three-match series with a convincing 86-run victory at Lord's, after being comprehensively beaten in the opening match at Trent Bridge.
The areas India need to improve in the 3rd ODI
After the first ODI victory, India made a couple of mistakes in the second match. First, the bowlers leaked a few extra runs, which helped England post a challenging total. And then the batsmen failed to rise to the occasion. Apart from Suresh Raina and skipper Virat Kohli, no other batsman could face English bowlers perfectly. Although wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan got good starts, they failed to capitalise on them. Middle-order batsmen Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya also failed miserably. Hence, in order to give English bowlers a tough time, India's middle batting line-up needs to click in unison.
In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav was the only wicket-taker. He scalped three wickets but gave away 68 runs in his 10 overs. Pacers Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya and debutant Sidharth Kaul proved costly. The bowlers now have to come up with something new to disturb the opponents, as Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are all in good form.
How England won the 2nd ODI
England, on the other hand, learnt quickly from a poor display in the first match against India, especially against chinaman Yadav, who claimed 6 for 25. Root and skipper Morgan also showed good form with their brilliant knocks of 113 and 53, respectively. Roy and Bairstow also showed signs of regaining their form with disciplined batting throughout their innings.
With a settled top-order, the only worry of the hosts now is their middle and lower order. Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali could not add much to the score after a brilliant start. If the trio clicks in the final match, it would make things very difficult for India. England has improved a lot in the bowling department. Bowlers are hunting in pairs. Pacers Liam Plunkett and David Willey are bowling well, while Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Mark Wood are supporting the duo superbly. Their bowling economy is not above six, which is a good sign for English players, especially when the opponents are chasing.
Will Bhuvneshwar Kumar play the 3rd ODI?
The Indian pace attack lacked penetration in the 2nd ODI, particularly in the death overs. Eighty-two runs were conceded in the final eight overs at Lord's, with Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul and Hardik Pandya conceding 62 among them in six overs. This underlines India's dependence on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
Judging by his exploits on the last two tours -- to Sri Lanka and South Africa -- Kumar is a huge miss for India in this ODI series and there is no official word on his fitness or availability yet. He did bowl in the nets at Lord's before the second ODI and is on the path to recovery. However, it remains to be seen if he will be included in the side for this decider ahead of Kaul or Umesh Yadav. At Pallekele, last August, Kumar had scored a match-winning maiden half-century in Dhoni's company after India were reduced to 131-7 in the 237-run chase. In South Africa, too, Kumar made vital contributions with the bat lower in the order. His continued absence will mean that India have a long tail, putting more responsibility on the top and middle order.
India's middle-order woes
MS Dhoni is over-burdened with a gaping hole at number four. It is considered the most vital position for any successful ODI side, yet India are struggling to find a solution to their revolving door conundrum for some time now. This series has marked the return of K L Rahul at number four since the Lankan tour. Lord's was his first big test. India have Dinesh Karthik and Shreyas Iyer on the bench. The former has been in a fine nick of late, while the latter has two half-centuries in his first six ODIs. Iyer also gave a good account of himself in Port Elizabeth, batting at number five. Despite his slow knock at Lord's, it is nearly inconceivable that the team management will consider favouring Karthik ahead of Dhoni.
Article Source : BS
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