Teams:

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh

Rohit Sharma: I wanted to bat first and put runs on the board because we bowled first in the last two games. It was important for us to get a win in the last game. The fielders potrayed themselves well in the last two games, a lot of young blood. We want to continue to do well in the field. They are pretty new in their careers so we want to keep the pressure away from them. let them do their own and they have got a lot of potential. We have made some changes - Jadeja and Shami have been rested, unfortunately Varun has a sore calf.

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Tom Banton, Liam Livingstone, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood

Rohit Sharma: I wanted to bat first and put runs on the board because we bowled first in the last two games. It was important for us to get a win in the last game. The fielders potrayed themselves well in the last two games, a lot of young blood. We want to continue to do well in the field. They are pretty new in their careers so we want to keep the pressure away from them. let them do their own and they have got a lot of potential. We have made some changes - Jadeja and Shami have been rested, unfortunately Varun has a sore calf. So, Washi, Kuldeep and Arshdeep come into the side.

Jos Buttler: We are gonna bowl first today. Little bit maybe, it may spin a bit later. We have batted first in the first two games so it will be a different experience today ahead

England have won the toss and have opted to field

Saqib Mahmood: I think it’s a dead rubber in terms of the series but in terms of the team we can take a lot heading into the Champions Trophy. (On the Indian pitches) It changes quite a bit in the evening as the dew comes on. It has been really good in the powerplay for batting. It’s my first time in India and I’m learning a lot, it has been good fun. It’s been a little stop-start for me. A few years ago in 2022, I cemented my spot a bit but then I had a stress fracture. Hopefully, I can make a comeback and play in all formats.

Pitch report: This one is right in the centre, 66m to the left and right and 74m straight down the ground. This is the same pitch used for the World Cup final, black soil pitch. It played slower in the first half and better for batting in the second half. The hessian has just come off so it's a bit damp but there is still time left before play starts it should dry out. There are some cracks that could keep the bowlers interested. Looks like a bowl first wicket. One of those pitch where if a batter gets in he can score but it might not be easy for the new comer. Dew is a concern, there was a lot of dew last night - opine Deep Dasgupta and Graeme Swann.

In the English camp, Jacob Bethell's injury has led to Tom Banton being recalled into the squad. The top-order batter has been great form in white-ball cricket and had a great ILT20 season. Will he make the cut today? England might also bring Archer and Carse for this game.

India are shaping up nicely ahead of the marquee event. Rohit returning to form with a scintillating century in the last game augurs well for the team. The hosts would dearly want Kohli getting amongst the runs as well. The big news is that Bumrah has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury and that’s a definite concern for India. But, India will believe that they have enough variety and firepower in their bowling attack to trouble oppositions in the marquee event. Harshit Rana has impressed with his changes of pace and temperament and will have an opportunity to shine in Bumrah’s absence. Shami hasn’t bowled full tilt but we all know his ability to extract substantial seam movement off the surface and that’s always a threat for batters. India have a really good variety in their spin attack and that’s crucial to succeed in sub-continental conditions.

12:30 Local Time, 07:00 GMT, 12:30 IST: England’s lacklustre tour has continued as India defeated them comprehensively in the last game to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The two teams lock horns in Ahmedabad today – it’s a dead rubber in the context of the series but in reality, it’s an important game considering that the Champions Trophy is just a week away. Jos Buttler was all praises for Rohit Sharma in the post-match interview as he mentioned that he scored at a rate that just confirms that the way we want to play is the right way. The idea might be right but the execution hasn’t been quite on point. The visitors put together a better batting performance in the last game but they have struggled in the middle overs against spin. The middle overs phase is perhaps the most important phase in ODI cricket and that’s where a game is probably won or lost. Also, England’s pace attack is a bit one-dimensional which has worked to the Men in Blue’s advantage.

12:30 Local Time, 07:00 GMT, 12:30 IST:

Preview by Prakash Govindasreenivasan

Jos Buttler smiled and acknowledged ODI greatness while fielding questions about Rohit Sharma's century in Cuttack. The India captain did not have a great start to 2025 with form deserting him, albeit in a different format. But just in time to take a shot at another 50-over ICC event, the big knock came along. Ravindra Jadeja reckoned it was 'great for the team', while Buttler himself chose to use it as a marker for his own side.

"He (Rohit) really showed that in this day and age, in the modern sort of way of playing 50-over cricket, it's very dynamic, very aggressive. He scored at a rate that just confirms really that the way we want to play is the right way.. the correct way to play cricket," Buttler said.

The theory is sound but England so far have not been able to put it fully to practice. In the two ODIs, they made identical, racy starts but were found wanting in the crucial middle-overs (11-40) where India threw a lot of spin at them. There were marginal gains from Nagpur to Cuttack (129/4 to 155/4) in their middle-overs returns but it was still grossly insufficient on a surface that got better for batting, which will be the case in the third ODI too. Ahmedabad gives their explosive top-seven one more opportunity to right the wrongs, particularly their batting against spin which yielded just 121 runs in 26 overs at a scoring rate of 4.65 in Cuttack.

India appear a lot more settled than their opposition heading into the last outing before the Champions Trophy. Virat Kohli taking a leaf out of Rohit's playbook to pull off a timely knock will be the icing on the cake for a team whose top-order has collectively been among the runs in this series.

There's of course the asterisk over the fitness status of Jasprit Bumrah, but the rest of the bowling attack has shaped up fine. That's perhaps down to both Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami coming through well on return and Ravindra Jadeja seamlessly getting into the groove of 50-over cricket.

When: India vs England, 3rd ODI, February 12, 2024, 02:30 PM IST

Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

What to expect: Tougher batting conditions at a venue with the lowest average first innings score for the series (240). Big square boundaries will also impact batting plans and give bowling sides a crutch. Dew has made its presence felt here, with five out of the eight ODIs since 2017 won by chasing sides.

In the five games at the 2023 World Cup, spinners got more purchase in the first innings while the quicks swung the ball more under lights. This will have a bearing on what the captains decide at the toss.

Team News:

India

While announcing the initial squad, the management had hoped Jasprit Bumrah would be fit to feature in the third and final ODI before heading to the Champions Trophy. However, there's no word on his availability yet. In his absence, Harshit Rana could continue to feature or Arshdeep Singh could get a game.

Rishabh Pant could get a game too, having sat out in the first two ODIs.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh/Harshit Rana, Varun CV, Mohammed Shami

England

The visitors could bring back Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer after resting them in the second fixture in Cuttack. England could also pick Tom Banton - the replacement player flown in for the injured Jacob Bethell - if they feel the need to beef up their batting. Banton last played an ODI in 2020 but has been in top-form in white-ball cricket. He arrives on the back of a successful ILT20 season where he scored 493 runs in 11 innings at an average of 54.78 and a strike rate of 151.69.

Probable XI: Philip Salt (w), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Tom Banton/Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson/Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood/Jofra Archer

Did you know:

- Arshdeep Singh is India's leading wicket taker in ODIs post the 2023 World Cup, with 12 wickets in 5 matches

- Liam Livingstone has a strike rate of 190.16 in the death overs (41-50) in ODIs in 2024

- Rohit Sharma averages 50.57 in Ahmedabad, with 354 runs in 7 innings

- Following his half-century in Cuttack, Joe Root has the most 50-plus scores in ODIs for England (56), surpassing Eoin Morgan's tally

What they said:

"Sometimes, it just takes one or two innings to turn things around. The good thing is that, before an important tournament like the Champions Trophy, scoring a hundred is a huge boost. It's great for the team." -Ravindra Jadeja on Rohit Sharma's century in Cuttack.

"There are some positives there, we're making steps in the right direction but not the perfect complete performance with the bat [in Cuttack]. The cycle of the team, there's a few players who are just gaining experience and days like this are great lessons which is what you want - you want to accelerate that learning and keep pushing the guys in the right direction." - Jos Buttler on his team's batting.

Squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal

England Squad: Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Jamie Smith, Jacob Bethell