- England maintains unchanged lineup for 3rd T20I; leads series 1-0.
- Bethell, Brook led impressive comeback in previous 191-run chase.
- India faces must-win game to avoid series loss against England.
England Playing 11 For 3rd T20I: The England Cricket Board (ECB) has officially announced their playing 11 for the highly anticipated third T20 International match against India. The clash is scheduled to take place at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Coming off a strong performance, the hosts have decided to back their winning squad, meaning no changes have been made to the lineup for this crucial encounter. The team management, led by captain Harry Brook, has opted for complete stability by retaining the exact same group of players that secured a thrilling victory in the second match.
England Sticks To Winning Combination
Here’s a look at England’s Playing XI for IND vs ENG 3rd T20I:
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue
England currently holds a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, as the opening game was completely washed out due to rain.
By keeping the lineup unchanged, England is showing immense faith in their current combination.
Why No Changes Were Made
The decision to stick with the same playing 11 likely stems from their brilliant performance in the previous game. Despite a rocky start while chasing a target of 191 runs where they lost early wickets the middle and lower order stepped up beautifully.
Jacob Bethell was the star of the show, smashing an unbeaten 76 runs off just 46 balls, which included a massive 29-run over off Ravi Bishnoi.
Captain Harry Brook also played a quickfire cameo of 39 runs from 12 balls, while Tom Banton contributed a crucial 39 runs.
Since the entire unit clicked under pressure to chase down the total with a over to spare, the team management likely saw absolutely no reason to drop anyone or experiment with the bench strength.
Must-Win Situation For Team India
On the other side, the pressure is mounting heavily on the Indian team and their captain, Shreyas Iyer. After suffering a 4-wicket defeat in Manchester, the Men in Blue are desperately searching for their first victory of the tour.
This match is a must-win for India to stay alive in the race to win the series. If India loses this game, England will take an unassailable lead, leaving India with only the chance to draw or save the series in the remaining fixtures.
It also serves as a massive test for Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, who is still looking for his first win as T20I captain after a tough 0-2 series loss against Ireland last month.
