Daijiworld Media Network
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Mohali, Oct 20: A confident bunch of Indian boys are all set to take on England cricketers in the third ODI of the ongoing of five-match series to be played here in Mohali on Thursday October 20 afternoon. The day/night match will be a do-or-die for England, as, if they lose, they would lose the series. For India, the team is just one match away from clinching the series.
The tournament has already been branded as a 'Revenge series' by the media, though Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni declined to accept this as any 'revenge'. No doubt, Indian fans the world over would be waiting for 5-0 whitewash as a payback for the previous loss to the vistors in their home country.
Incidentally, England is playing at Mohali PCA stadium for the first time. India have played 10 ODIs here earlier, including the famous World Cup semi-final match against Pakistan which India won by 29 runs. India has won 6 out of 10 matches played at Mohali. Another famous victory was the famous Hero Cup final in 1993 when India beat South Africa by 43 runs.
Going by the first two ODIs, Indian selectors have kept faith on the same team. After two consecutive wins, India looks to be a balanced team both with the bat and the ball. Spinner Ashwin and all-rounder Jadeja can threaten the English batting line-up with quality spin bowling. Karnataka fast bowler Vinay Kumar who performed his carreer best 4-30 has gained confidence from the last match, and is set to continue his attacking mood in the third ODI.
Umesh Yadav, who bowled well in both the matches, hinted to the captain and the opposition that he is more dangerous in his second spell. In both the previous matches, he proved expensive in the first spell, but came back well and took wickets in the second spell. Perhaps, he could be more useful as the ball gets older.
Praveen Kumar, who is a key bowler for India specially in the absence of Zaheer Khan has not seen success in the second ODI, but his attacking bowling could prove effective here at the Mohali pitch which is expected to be conducive to swing bowling.
In the batting line-up, openers Parthiv Patel and Rahane need to get their touch if they have to be considered seriously for future matches. After successful matches against England in England, both openers failed to get going in India.
Virat Kohli and Gautham Gambhir, whose marriage is fixed on October 28 just after the ODI series, are enjoying batting against England. Both look matured, attacking and able to face England bowling attack. Raina and Dhoni are next in line to take charge of the batting line-up. Jadeja has always played well under pressure and is a useful batsman, adding to his bowling talent.
But things are not going so well for England. Captain Cook has been a big failure in both matches, and will be under huge pressure to lead the team from the front. His temperament, skills and experience will be tested in the third ODI.
England who have so far failed in all the departments - batting, bowling and fielding - need to regroup to keep the series alive. In both matches England failed to play the full 50 overs. In the absence of Broad and Anderson, bowlers are suffering at the hands of Indian batsmen.
Ian Bell, who did not play in the first two ODIs, is expected to get a place this time. But it will be interesting to see who will be kept out of the playing XI.
Teams:
England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook(c), Craig Kieswetter(w), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonathan Bairstow, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, Jade Dernbach
India (Playing XI): Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav
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