FANTASY
Follow UsEngland will look to seal the series when they take on India in the fourth Twenty20 International at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Thursday (March 18). All three games have been one-sided so far. After England thumped India in the first T2OI, Virat Kohli and Co. made a stunning comeback in the second encounter. However, India were blown away on Tuesday and have conceded a 2-1 lead, with two more games to go.
Head to Head
Overall: Matches – 17 | IND – 8 wins | ENG – 9 wins
Last five matches: IND – 2 wins | ENG – 3 wins
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
In this series, all three games have been won by the side batting second. While the likes of Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler are must-have players, you could wait for the toss before finalising your XI. The batsmen have scored at an average of 34.5 in this series, so it would be ideal to have at least six-seven frontline batters.
When it comes to bowling, you got to have Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Washington Sundar in your XI as the trio has looked a class apart.
CAPTAIN SUGGESTION
Indian captain Virat Kohli was under some pressure after being dismissed for a duck in the first T20I, but the batting maestro is back amongst runs and has looked head and shoulders above the rest in the last two encounters. The right-hander crafted five fours and three sixes in his 49-ball 73* in the second T20I and followed it up with a stunning 46-ball 77* in the third game. Since 2019, Kohli averages 60.73 in the shortest format of the game and is a safe bet when it comes to fantasy cricket.
X-FACTORS
Rohit Sharma didn't play the first two T20Is and looked a bit rusty when he made his return in the third match on Tuesday. The opener could only score 15 off 17 but has been one of India's consistent performers in the shortest format of the game. Since 2018, Rohit has scored 1141 runs at an average of 33.56, including nine fifties and two centuries. If Rohit gets going, he could fetch you lots of points.
Mark Wood has been England's game-changer in this series. He didn't play the second T20I and England surely missed him. The tearaway paceman has picked up four wickets in two games at an impressive strike rate of 12. Wood has bowled with a lot of pace and not many Indian batsmen have looked comfortable against him. The 31-year-old took 3/31 in the third T20I and could once again make an impact in the next game.
Jos Buttler was named Player of the Match for his superb 52-ball 83* in the last T20I. The wicketkeeper-batsman slammed five fours and four maximums to help England chase down a target of 157. Since 2020, Buttler has smoked over 400 runs in 11 T20Is at an average of 50.25 and a strike rate of 148.9. If needed, he could also fetch you some crucial points with his glovework.