India vs England Live Score, 3rd ODI: All eyes on Rohit Sharma as India, England prepare for series decider at Lord’s

Speculation about Rohit’s future dominated the build-up to the match. However, the BCCI has clarified that the Lord’s ODI will not be the veteran opener’s last international appearance.

However, Rohit will be keen to silence his critics after struggling in the first two matches of the series.

Rohit looks to find his touch again

At his best, Rohit is known for his effortless pull shots against pace and his ability to dominate spin. But the 39-year-old has looked far from his fluent self so far, leading to fresh debates over whether he can continue until the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.

Cardiff’s two-paced surface did not help his cause as he played nine consecutive dot balls before getting out.

A better batting wicket at the “Home of Cricket” would give Rohit the ideal opportunity to produce a trademark innings.

As a former Indian captain, Rohit has always set the tone by attacking the powerplay. His biggest challenge this Sunday is to hold the pace and bounce of Jofra Archer in the opening overs.

Gill, Kohli key to India’s batting

Current captain Shubman Gill has looked good with the bat and will be hoping to turn his start to a big hundred after throwing away his wicket in Cardiff.

While Rohit struggled, Virat Kohli continued to dominate the ODI format. He was eyeing a century in the second ODI before falling to Archer, triggering a middle-order collapse that proved costly for India.

India will be hoping to avoid repeating the mistakes of the series decider.

KL Rahul’s availability remains a talking point after Ishan Kishan replaced him in the previous game due to illness. Kishan, like other Indian batters, found it difficult against England’s short-ball tactics.

Shreyas Iyer has been one of India’s positives in the middle order, especially with his confident batting against leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Squads

England: Harry Brook (captain), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, James Coles, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Dubrar, Harshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Dube.