India and England face off in the third ODI of the tri-nation series in Australia. Both teams lost relatively close battles against the hosts and are determined to bounce back on what may well be a fast track at Brisbane. Here are the live updates from the match. (Live Scorecard | Live Updates)
08.27 (IST): India win toss, opt to bat vs England. BIG NEWS is that Rohit Sharma misses out due to a hamstring injury. In comes Ambati Rayudu. Stuart Binny replaces Ravichandran Ashwin. For England, James Anderson returns in place of Chris Jordan.
08.16 (IST): The England players are out, practicing ahead of the toss. A cracking match on the cards at the Gabba.
Rohit Sharma raced to his fifty with a six
© AFP
While England lost the first match of the tournament by three wickets, India gave a solid fight to the Aussie but eventually lost by four wickets. In a series where each team plays an opposition twice, points are of essence and a strong performance will auger well ahead of the World Cup.
Team India is a firm favourite to win the World Cup next month. The side showed good fighting spirit in their first match and Rohit Sharma emerged as a hero with a knock of 138. It was a crucial innings which steadied the side after early wickets. He got good support from Suresh Raina who, after a horrible Test series, struck a half-century. The knocks helped India post 267 - a total that was decent but not daunting.
The bowlers tested the Aussies - Aaron Finch (96), Shane Watson (41), Steve Smith (47) getting starts but falling at key stages. The hosts won the match only with a solitary over to spare. More than the narrow defeat, India would be hurting from the loss of Mohammad Shami who strained his hamstring in the match. Will Dhawal Kulkarni get a match or will India play Mohit Sharma against England? In that choice will be India's abilities to exploit a fast Gabba pitch.
During the Test between the two sides here last month, Australia won after India collapsed in their second innings. Pacers Mitchell Johnson claimed four wickets in that innings, showing just how much talented bowlers can excel here. The same can be true in the ODI as well. Past ODI records here, however, do not favour the men in blue.
India in ODIs at Brisbane:
Played: 14
Won: 4
Lost: 8
N/R: 2
Indian fans can find solace in the fact that the team enjoys a good record against England at neutral venues. The team has won six of eight matches when none between the two is the host nation.
India vs England in ODIs (overall):
Total: 91
India: 50
England: 36 (tied 2; n/r 3)
To underestimate England though would be a gross mistake. The team is under Eoin Morgan and he is in excellent form. He hit 121 against the Aussie in the first match of the series and is looking to lead the batting line-up once again. If the top-order fires and Morgan backs it up, the team can mount a formidable total.
All eyes would be on Chris Woakes in the bowling department. He claimed four wickets against Australia and with the support of an experienced Stuart Broad, can be deadly at Brisbane.
The team may have lost four of their last five ODI matches but continue to have the potential to right the records.
(Stats by Rajesh Kumar)
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