England vs India 2018, 3rd ODI, Leeds - Match Prediction

Team India suffered a hiccup in the 2^nd ODI after suffering an 86-run defeat at the hands of England at the iconic Lord’s Stadium in England.

The home team bounced back very strongly after suffering a resounding defeat in the series opener. The series decider which is slated to be played later on Tuesday is expected to be a crackerjack of a contest.

Unlike the previous encounters where India started off as favourites, England might well be up for a great match and will look to end the series on a winning note.

They are the No 1 side in the world for quite a sometime and will look to play like one today. One serious doubt for them is in the form of Jason Roy who is a doubtful starter for the Leeds game. However, James Vince has been called up as a cover.

If Roy fails to recover, Vince might well get drafted into the playing XI directly. Joe Root who struggled against wrist spin coming into the 2^nd ODI played a great knock and was instrumental in helping England level the three-match series.

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The key for both the teams 

Their bowling department of the home team rose to the occasion for the first time in the series. However, India has a great batting line-up. They are too good a side and a batting unit to falter for the 2^nd time in succession. Rohit Sharma had looked in terrific touch and had already smashed a couple of centuries in the limited-overs tour in the UK.

He was quite brilliant during the T20I series decider last week and carried on his form in the opening ODI.

Rohit remained unbeaten on 137 off 115 deliveries which helped India chase down the target of 269 with utmost comfort in the end. Virat Kohli has also looked in great touch as always. One concern for the visitors is the lack of batting practice for the lower middle-order.

The likes of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina have come at difficult junctures of the game and has not been able to play their free game. Hardik Pandya had bowled well but has failed to step up to the plate with the bat. He will be a vital cog for India if they hope of winning their 4^th successive T20I series overseas.

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been quite a sensation in the tour so far.

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Kuldeep’s threat 

The left-arm chinaman bowler bagged five wickets in the T20I series opener and added six more in the opening ODI. It was the best bowling figures by a spinner in the English conditions. However, on occasions, he has gone for a few runs.

The Kuldeep is a class act and will be arguably the most important player for India in the decider. Yuzvendra Chahal is also a match winner in his own rights. He has not bagged enough wickets in the series so far.

However, a match-winning performance might just be around the corner. One of the major concern for India will be the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He is yet to recover fully from the injury and might miss the decider.

Predicted XI’s

England: Jason Roy/James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Siddarth Kaul

Also Read: ENG vs IND 2018: India’s Credible Squad for England Tests

Match Predictions

It is expected to be a thrilling encounter between two top sides who have played some brilliant cricket n the recent times. India started off with a resounding victory in the series opener. But the Englishmen stormed back strongly to win the 2^nd encounter. It will be hard to predict the winner for today’s clash.

Given India’s tremendous all-round abilities, I will stick with the Men in Blue to win yet another limited-overs series in overseas conditions.