Hyderabad: The rampaging India will square off against England in the third and final One-Day International at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 12, aiming to whitewash England in the series, having won the first two games.
Though India has already taken a 2-0 unassailable lead, there are plenty of questions ahead of the skipper Rohit Sharma and team management ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins on February 19. India is yet to find the right combination to begin with as Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana haven't bowled a complete quota of 10 overs in the previous two games and Arshdeep Singh warming the bench. Kuldeep Yadav, who is returning to the fray after the injury, has played only one game before the third ODI while Varun Chakaravarthy made his ODI debut in the last game.
Cuttack 🛬 Ahmedabad #TeamIndia have arrived for the Third and the Final #INDvENG ODI 👌👌@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/JOd2fCAkgU
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2025
In addition to this, Rohit Sharma has returned to form with a stunning 32nd hundred, but Virat Kohli, who missed the first game, would want to get some runs under his belt before the Champions Trophy. KL Rahul is yet to fire as well while Rishab Pant has played only one ODI in the last two years period, which came against Sri Lanka last year. Washington Sunder, who is also been named in the Champions Trophy squad, hasn't played a game.
The Men in Blue are returning to the venue where they suffered the heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final and have an opportunity to exorcise the ghosts of the past.
Overall, India has won 11 out of 20 ODIs they played at this venue. Ahead of the World Cup final defeat in 2023, India was on a five-match winning streak at the venue in the 50-over format.
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad ODI Record:
Matches played: 31
Team batting first won: 15
Team batting second won: 16
Average first innings total: 243
Highest team total: 365/2 (50) - South Africa vs India (2010)
Lowest team total: 85 (30.1) - Zimbabwe vs West Indies (2006)
Last result: Australia beat India by six wickets (2023)
Pitch Report
The conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium, previously motera, have previously supported the bowlers in the 50-over format, especially under lights. The 300-run mark has been breached just six times in 31 ODIs. The last time a team scored 300 or more in an innings here was back in 2010, when South Africa smashed 365 for two in 50 overs against India. In the 13 ODIs held here, no team has gone past the 300-run figure.
The pacer has taken 257 wickets at an average of 32.31. On the contrary, the spinners have managed 137 scalps at 39.67 runs apiece. However, there are chances of dew setting in during the second innings, teams would want to bowl first.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.
England: Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Phil Salt (wk), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Start time: 1:30 PM IST (Day/Night)
