FANTASY
Follow UsIndia outclassed England in the second Twenty20 International by seven wickets and levelled the five-match series 1-1 on Sunday (March 14). The Virat Kohli-led side will now look to build on that momentum and take a lead in the series when they take on England in the third T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Tuesday (March 16).
The competition between the two teams is even-steven. In 16 matches, England have eight wins and so do India.
Head to Head
Overall: Matches – 16 | IND – 8 wins | ENG – 8 wins
Last five matches: IND – 3 wins | ENG – 2 win
SUGGESTED TEAMS
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we have come up with six different teams that could fetch you crucial points.
GROUND DETAILS & TEAM COMBINATION
England captain Eoin Morgan described the surface used for the second T20I as "quite slow, low, didn't turn a great deal" and you can expect similar conditions in the third encounter. Stroke-making wasn't easy and batsmen were forced to earn their runs. Jason Roy has been in pretty good form, while KL Rahul has struggled to get going. It would be ideal to have a couple of batsmen who are more "conventional". The likes of Virat Kohli and Dawid Malan are safe options, but you could also gamble with batsmen like Ishan Kishan and Jos Buttler.
Rohit Sharma is a must if India finally decide to play him in the third T20I. The surface offered some assistance to the spinners and it would be ideal to have at least two of Yuzvendra Chahal, Adil Rashid and Washington Sundar. We have gone with a combination of seven batsmen including two wicketkeepers, one all-rounder and three bowlers.
CAPTAIN SUGGESTION
Having registered three ducks in his last five international innings, Virat Kohli was under some pressure ahead of the second T20I. The batting maestro, however, was at his best on Sunday and played a huge role in helping India chase down a target of 165 with more than two overs to spare. The Indian captain crafted five fours and three sixes in his 49-ball 73* and looked in phenomenal touch. Since 2019, Kohli averages 55.6 in the shortest format of the game and is a safe bet when it comes to fantasy cricket.
X-FACTORS
India conceded just 35 off the last five overs and Shardul Thakur played a key role in that. The right-arm paceman has a habit of picking up crucial wickets, as he did in the second game. Thakur took 2/29, as both of his wickets came in the death overs. If India once again go with only five bowling options, Thakur will bowl at least two overs at the fag end of the innings and he could once again be amongst wickets.
With scores of 49 and 46, Jason Roy is currently the leading run-scorer in the series. The dynamic opener is a true game-changer and also has a pretty decent record in Indian conditions. The right-hander averages almost 31 and has a strike rate of 144.3 in 11 T20Is he has played in India. Roy, however, will be wary of Sundar who has dismissed him twice in two innings in this series.
The steamy spell of bowling at the start of the innings in the first T20I by Jofra Archer set the game up for England. Archer went wicketless in the second T20I but was economical. The tall lanky bowler has been exceptional during the Powerplay since IPL 2020. Since that tournament, Archer has taken 13 wickets in the first six overs in T20s. The 13 wickets taken by him are the fourth-best in this time frame. He is certainly an X-Factor who can give any team a head start.