England vs India 2018, Third ODI - England Bowl First, Injured Jason Roy Misses Out

England won the toss and decided to field first against India in the third and final ODI at Headingley, Leeds

Here is what the captains said:

Eoin Morgan:

“I think it’s a really good wicket, the wickets here have always been good throughout 100 overs, so it should be the same today. Very rarely do we get occasions like this and against a side like India it’ll be great. Vince has been in fantastic form for Hampshire, so unfortunately Roy misses out.”

Virat Kohli:

“Not much grass on it, so we expect the spinners to come into play in the second half. Rahul misses out for Karthik. Dinesh was a tactical change and the other two because they haven’t got a game yet. If you’re playing against the No. 1 ODI side in the world, you expect them to bounce back. Today is another opportunity for us to go and prove ourselves. We just have to come out and express ourselves.”

Preview:

The stage is now set for a thrilling end to the three-match ODI series. The way England capitulated in the first ODI, it looked like India would wrap up the series in the second game itself. However, the hosts bounced back strongly in the second game to level the series and force a decider.

It was a performance that would have pleased the English team-management. Not only did the English players handle Kuldeep Yadav well but Joe Root also roared back to form. The right-hander scored a fighting 113 to guide his team to a good total before the bowlers made light work of India’s chase.

With momentum on their side, England will enter the contest full of confidence. But at the same time, they should avoid complacency against a side that has looked far superior than them on this tour. Moreover, England would also look to learn from the T20I series where they lost the decider after winning the second game.

On the other hand, India would have to address a lot of issues before the decider. Their middle-order continues to fare poorly while their pace department is also far from being convincing. In case, both the departments fail to get going again, England can well end up on the winning side.

Playing elevens:

England:

Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

India:

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal