Under-fire India look to revamp bowling attack, add extra pacer for third T20I against England (Preview)
Nottingham, July 6
A struggling India will desperately hunt for its first win on the tour when they face an aggressive England in the third T20I at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The visitors have endured a forgettable start under new captain Shreyas Iyer, losing the game in Manchester and suffering a shocking 2-0 series defeat to Ireland.
What will be India's chief focus will be revamping the bowling attack and adding an extra fast bowler, considering Ravi Bishnoi looked completely out of sorts in Manchester, conceding 60 runs without a wicket, including bowling three back-foot no-balls in a catastrophic 29-run over.
For the Trent Bridge clash, youngster Prince Yadav is a strong candidate to replace Bishnoi ahead of Prasidh Krishna, whose back-of-a-length balls can be easily dispatched by England's hard-hitting batter.
The Indian batters, meanwhile, have also found it difficult to adapt to the extra bounce and movement offered by pitches in England after playing predominantly on flat subcontinent pitches. Apart from opener Abhishek Sharma, who has looked fluent with scores of 59 and 43, the rest of the lineup has lacked fluency.
While skipper Iyer and Ishan Kishan have scraped together some runs, they have failed to dominate. Meanwhile, young batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will look to make a significant impact after making a historic international debut. Correcting these tactical errors and balancing the bowling department will be crucial if the visitors intend to keep the series alive.
When: Tuesday, July 7, 100:00 PM IST
Where: Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham
Where to watch: The title clash will be shown live on Sony Sports Network TV channels and will be live-streamed on SonyLIV website and app.
Squads
India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Varun Chakaravarthy
England: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton (wk), Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), James Coles, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, and Luke Wood.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I've been saying this for years - our bowlers need to learn how to adapt to foreign conditions. Ravi Bishnoi's 29-run over was just embarrassing. Three no-balls? Come on, that's basic stuff. But I'm excited to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the kid has talent. Hope he gets a proper chance and not just thrown under pressure. India needs to win this to keep the series alive!
As a neutral fan, I think India's over-reliance on spin bowling is their undoing in England. The pitches here just don't turn like in India. Prasidh Krishna has been too predictable with his back-of-a-length stuff. Bring in Prince Yadav, at least he's tall and can extract bounce. Also, it's time Shreyas Iyer steps up as captain - the team looks lost in the field.
Honestly, I'm disappointed with the team selection. Why play Bishnoi when you saw England's batsmen struggle against pace in the first match? Prince Yadav should have been in from the start. And I'm worried about Ishan Kishan - he's not looking like the same confident player. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs to be backed fully, not just used as a stopgap. Come on India, show some fight! 💪🇮🇳
This is what happens when you don't prepare players for foreign conditions. Our domestic circuit is too spin-friendly. But let's be fair - Abhishek Sharma has been a revelation. He's the only one who looks comfortable against the moving ball. For the bowling, Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh should lead the attack. And please, drop Bishnoi - he's not ready for this level yet. Series is still alive, but just barely.
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