India look to make it 3-0 in final warm-up ahead of Champions Trophy
There’s nothing to play for as India and England head into the final game of the three-match series with the home side leading 2-0. There is pride of course and the small matter of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy but as a series, this one is already in the bag for India.
The action for the final game moves to Ahmedabad, and the Narendra Modi Stadium where the highest ever ODI score was a whopping 365 for two set by South Africa back in 2010. For those who don’t remember South Africa reached the score on the back of centuries from Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers who were both undefeated, while Loots Bosman and Hashim Amla posted scores of 68 and 87 respectively.
England have played four previous games at Narendra Modi Stadium and have managed just a single win – against the West Indies in 2006. Curiously, they have never played India in Ahmedabad.
In terms of winning the toss, there is not much in it – of the 31 ODIs played at the venue the captain who has won the toss has chosen to bat first 16 times and to field 15 times. There is also nothing in it, in terms of win percentage batting first or second with it once again split evenly – 15 wins for the side batting first and 16 for the side batting second.
Where there is a slight bias, which suggests that the skippers will need to assess the conditions on the day, is in terms of correlation between winning the toss and winning the game. In 18 out of the 31 games played in Ahmedabad, the team which won the toss went on to win the game.
India v England | 3rd ODI | Wednesday 12 February 2025 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 10:00
India The big news for India in the last ODI was the return to form of Rohit Sharma. One of the greatest ODI batsmen of all time, Sharma returned to form with aplomb, striking a match-winning 119 from 90 balls. The captain struck 12 fours and seven maximums as he shared an opening stand of 135 with Shubman Gill.
Virat Kohli was back in the mix for the second ODI, but his troubles with the bat continued as he managed just five from eight balls before falling victim to Adil Rashid. He looks certain to get another run on Wednesday as India does their best to play him back into form ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was the man who sat out for the second game to make space for Kohli. He may well be brought back at the top of the order on Wednesday as India look secure game time for as many of their stars as possible.
KL Rahul has managed scores of two and 10 thus far in the series and India will have to make a call. Do they drop him for Rishab Pant, the other keeper in the squad, or do they leave him in the team and hope that he finds form. Rahul is currently the 13 ranked ODI batsman on the ICC list, but Pant’s invention and aggression would be a great addition to the mix, especially given the dead nature of the rubber.
Varun Chakravarthy made his ODI in the second game of the series and after he ripped them apart in the T20I series, England treated him with circumspection. He picked up a single wicket (the key scalp of Phil Salt) and looks set to play in the final game.
Meanwhile Ravindra Jadeja has been outstanding with the ball taking six for 61 over the two games. He may get a chance to relax in the final game, but if he doesn’t, expect him to be back amongst the wickets once again.
India had been hoping that Jasprit Bumrah might be back in time for the final game against England, but that is not going to happen and he may well also be absent from the Champions Trophy – while the loss of the world’s best bowler is undoubtedly a blow, what India do have is a wonderfully varied attack with plenty of able replacements who can step in and perform magic.
England England have been under pressure the entire series and have never quite been able to settle. They have made starts, but they have never really gone on to finish those starts like they would have wanted to. two scores in the 60s in the second ODI and two in the 50s in the first were as good as it got from Jos Buttler’s men. Their numbers simply don’t stack up to those of India.
One of the reasons for the difference has been the bowling – India’s attack is very varied and England have struggled to master it. England’s attack on the other hand is vert uniform – Adil Rashid aside, England are just four tall guys bowling quite fast. Once India’s batters are settled, they have looked very comfortable against whatever England have thrown at them.
England’s Ben Duckett has made it clear that winning in Ahmedabad is of little concern for England – they are looking at the bigger picture: “If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy. If we do that, we probably won’t look back on this if we do the business in that competition,” he said.
England’s batsmen are all in reasonable form but regardless of that, they may look to give Tom Banton a run. He’s in the squad and, while he has only played six ODI’s, he could do with a run to ensure that he’s ready if called upon in the Champions Trophy.
Adil Rashid remains a key for England. He has taken three wickets in the series, but he is England’s something different. Expect him to be their leading wicket-taker if he plays in the final game.
Verdict: India As much as there is nothing to play for, India still has too much momentum and quality to miss out. Expect them to wrap up the series 3-0.
