India Playing 11 vs England - 3rd T20I, England tour of India 2025

Team India will be looking to take an unassailable lead when they lock horns against England in the third game of the ongoing five-match T20I series. The third match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday (January 28) in Rajkot.

India have taken a 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first two games. Following a comfortable 7-wicket victory in the first game, India registered a hard-fought 2-wicket victory in the second game.

Set a target of 166 runs, India were reeling at 78/5 at one stage. Tilak Varma then played an unbeaten knock of 72 runs to take the Men in Blue home.

With India now eyeing a series-clinching victory in the third T20I, we are taking a look at the India Playing 11 for the upcoming game.

India Playing 11 vs England - 3rd T20I, England tour of India 2025:

Openers: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma

The hosts are unlikely to make any changes to their top order. So, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will continue to be the openers in the India Playing 11 for the third T20I as well. Both the players failed to get going in the second game and will be keen to deliver with the bat in the forthcoming game.

Samson, who scored a quickfire 26 in the first T20I, was out for just 5 runs in the second T20I. The right-handed batsman will be eyeing a big score in the third game.

On the other hand, Sharma, who smashed a whirlwind 79 runs in the series-opener, started his knock in the second game finely. He hit Jofra Archer for three fours in the very first over before being dismissed by Mark Wood in the second over.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube/Ramandeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel

For the second game in a row, captain Suryakumar Yadav failed to lead the team from the front. The India captain got the start in the second game but did not last long as he departed for 12. He will be desperate to let his bat do the talking in the third T20I.

Tilak Varma played a brilliant match-winning knock in the second T20I. The southpaw showed remarkable composure and maturity as he scored a fighting fifty to take India home. He showed that he has the ability to play according to the situation and will be looking to impress in the third game as well.

Hardik Pandya failed to deliver with the bat in a crunch situation. While the allrounder is known for his ability to deliver in pressure situations, he could not get going in the second game and was out for only 7 runs. With the ball, he picked up 1 wicket while conceding only 6 runs in 2 overs.

India could make one change to their middle order for the forthcoming game. Dhruv Jurel could make way for either Ramandeep Singh or Shivam Dube in the India Playing 11.

With Jurel scoring only 4 runs in the second T20I, the team management will be tempted to bring in a big-hitter like Dube or Ramandeep. The other all-rounders in the India Playing 11 are likely to be Washington Sundar and Axar Patel.

For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the entire series before the IND vs ENG 2nd T20I. Rinku Singh also sustained an injury that kept him out of action from the 2nd T20I and he is likely to miss the 3rd game of the series too.

Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

India could also make one change to their bowling lineup. After warming the bench during the first two T20Is, Mohammed Shami is expected to be included in the India Playing 11 for the third T20I.

The veteran pacer was not included in the team for the first two games because of conditions and is expected to play the Rajkot T20I.

He is likely to replace Ravi Bishnoi in the India Playing 11. The other two bowlers in the team are likely to be Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy.