India vs England, 3rd ODI: Visitors elect to field
England have won the toss and elected to field in the third and final ODI in Pune. The three-match series is leveled at 1-1 after England made a stunning comeback in the second ODI. The likes of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow helped them chase 337. India, who won the series opener, would want to end the series on a positive note. Here's more.
Just like first two ODIs, the third game is also expected to be a high-scoring thriller. Although the fast bowlers have extracted pace and bounce from the Pune wicket, batsmen have had the upper hand so far. Meanwhile, the dew will likely come into play eventually. While the Star Sports network is broadcasting the game, live streaming is available on the Hotstar app.
A defeat in the third ODI could give India a third consecutive ODI series defeat. They lost 1-2 in Australia and 0-3 in NZ. Shikhar Dhawan is set to become the 10th Indian with 6,000 ODI runs. He (5,910) needs 90 more to achieve the historic milestone. Notably, Bairstow and Jason Roy own 13 century-stands as openers in ODIs, most by an England pair.
It is interesting to note that England have won only one bilateral ODI series in India, as of now (1984). Ever since, they have drawn two and lost five back-to-back series. The visitors could script history by winning the series finale.
Indian captain Virat Kohli is yet to score an international hundred since November 2019. However, he remains unperturbed with the century drought. "I never played for hundreds in my life, probably why I ended up getting so many in such a short while. If I get a hundred and the team doesn't win, it means nothing," he said at the post-match presentation (2nd ODI).
