England will bat first against India in the third and decisive ODI at Lord’s after Harry Brook won the toss. Jasprit Bumrah will sit out the match after failing a fitness test, forcing India into changes at a venue where the series will be settled. Brook called the surface good for batting, adding that England expects runs on the board despite Lord’s being flagged by the ICC last month for an unsatisfactory pitch during the first New Zealand Test.
Both sides have shuffled their line-ups for the winner-takes-all fixture. England made one change, bringing in Josh Tongue for Saqib Mahmood, who played the first two matches of the series. Tongue debuted in the format during the opening ODI at Edgbaston and now gets his second appearance.
Bumrah Ruled Out With Knee Injury
India have made three alterations, two of them forced by fitness concerns. Captain Shubman Gill confirmed that Bumrah is out with a swollen left knee, the result of an impact injury sustained while fielding in Cardiff. Washington Sundar also misses out through injury after damaging his hamstring during the second match. Shivam Dube has been left out for tactical reasons rather than fitness.
KL Rahul returns to the side after sitting out the previous game through illness. Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav come into the XI, giving India a seam-heavy attack with Axar Patel as the only frontline spinner.
Gill explained the thinking behind the selection, saying spinners have not troubled batters much through the middle overs at this ground, and that the team wanted four seamers in the XI. He added that he would have chosen to bat first had he won the toss.
What A Series Win Means For Both Sides
A win for England would give them just their eighth victory in 22 bilateral ODI matches against India, and it would ease some of the pressure on head coach Brendon McCullum, who stepped down as Test coach only a week earlier.
For India, the match carries added significance beyond the series scoreline. Reports during the second ODI suggested this could be Rohit Sharma’s last appearance in international cricket. A series win at Lord’s, where India have not beaten England since 2004, would mark a fitting way to close out that chapter.
Full Playing XIs For The Decider
England named an unchanged top order: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook as captain, Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Adil Rashid.
India fielded Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill as captain, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan as wicketkeeper, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna.
The result at Lord’s will decide the series outright, with both teams entering the match at one win apiece after two closely fought contests earlier in the tour.
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