INDIA VS. ENGLAND: ENG’S TOUR OF IND 2021, 3rd T20 | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts India take on England in the third match of the 5-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday evening.
India produced a dominant performance and leveled the series in style, while England’s weaknesses were exposed in the loss in the second T20I. It will be interesting to see which of the two can now take their momentum forward.
After a poor show in the first game, India ticked all the right boxes in the last game. The bowlers did an outstanding job on a sticky wicket. Everyone bowled economically with S Thakur and W Sundar taking 4 wickets between them. H Pandya returning to bowling gave the team a fifth bowling option too. A target of 165 on a two-paced track was not going to be a cakewalk but debutant I Kishan and Captain Kohli's aggressive half-centuries helped chase down the target with 13 balls to spare. Now it will be interesting to see who will be rested, as R Sharma comes back into the team.
On the other hand, England had a very poor game after they won the first match in style. They lost J Buttler in the very first over and the other batsmen, barring J Roy, could not get going. Morgan, Stokes, and Malan struggled to score freely as the Indian bowlers put on sustained pressure on them. In the second innings, S Curran and J Archer bowled decent spells, but all others went for plenty of runs. M Wood or M Ali may replace T Curran in the next match.
This has been a fascinating series so far between the two top sides in T20 cricket. Expect more of the same in this crucial game of the series on Tuesday.
Match Details
- Match: India vs. England, 3rd T20
- Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Date & Time: Mar. 16, 2020, at 7 PM IST
Probable Playing XI
India
I Kishan, R Sharma, V Kohli (C), R Pant (WK), S Iyer, S Yadav, H Pandya, W Sundar, S Thakur, Y Chahal, B Kumar
England
J Roy, J Buttler (WK), D Malan, J Bairstow, E Morgan (C), B Stokes, S Curran, A Rashid, J Archer, C Jordan, M Wood
Weather and Pitch Report
The weather is expected to be clear during the game. The temperature will be around 31 degrees.
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium is proving to be a slow and two-paced wicket. The ball is not coming onto the bat easily and the slower deliveries are gripping the surface. However, batsmen who spend some time in the middle can play long innings. The average first innings score in the two matches has been 144 runs.
Dew in the second innings helps the ball skid through the surface and the ball comes on a little better to the bat. Expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. However, the team batting first would be in the game if they can put a total of around 175 runs.
Key Players
- V Kohli showed his class in the last game, scoring a masterful 73 runs off 49 balls and guided the chase for his team. After a string of low scores, he is back in form and is expected to play a similar knock here too.
- R Sharma was rested from the first two games of this series. After his brilliant outing in the Test series, he is ready to stamp his authority with the white-ball as well. He has scored more than 2700 runs and 4 centuries in this format.
- B Kumar bowled well in the last game, setting the tone with a brilliant wicket first over. After being out for a long time from the national team, his lines were good in the last game and troubled the English batsmen. He will look to pick more wickets here.
- J Roy is turning out to be England’s enforcer in this series. He is currently the highest run-getter of this series, having scored 49 and 46 in the last two matches at a strike rate of more than 140. He will look to play a much bigger knock here.
- D Malan has been quiet in the series so far, given his record in this format of the game. He has been a reliable player in the role of a sheet anchor and scored a couple of 20s in the last two matches. Expect him to come good in this match.
- J Archer went wicketless in the last game, after grabbing the headlines in the first match. He has been England's most successful bowler in the series, taking 3 wickets at an average of 15.66.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: R Pant
- Batsmen: V Kohli, R Sharma, J Roy, D Malan
- All-rounders: H Pandya, B Stokes
- Bowlers: Y Chahal, B Kumar, A Rashid, J Archer
- Captain: R Sharma/R Pant
- Vice Captain: D Malan/J Roy
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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