England tour of India

IND vs ENG, 3rd T20I

Preview 

Fifteen wins and two defeats in 17 T20Is since clinching the T20 World Cup last June have made India almost unbeatable in this format. This is despite their players' constant chopping and shuffling, owing to the jam-packed cricket calendar. It’s petrifying to imagine what they can attain if Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are back in the mix. 

Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the squad has looked settled. However, it would be difficult for Yashasvi Jaiswal, one of their first-choice batters to slot in at the top given the kind of performances Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have been putting in. 

There’s courageousness that stems from the freedom they’re rejoicing in under their skipper. This has given the coach, Gambhir fewer headaches in at least one format. India’s transition has been smooth following the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. 

England’s resurgence in white ball cricket has been much talked about since their fifty-over World Cup win in 2019 and T20 World Cup win in 2022- has somewhat hit a barricade. Jos Butler has suffered one setback after another, including two dismal World Cups (ODI in 2023 and T20 in 2024) even as he continues to remain positive of a change in fortunes amid churn. 

Brendon McCullum stint as the white ball coach couldn’t have commenced on a more challenging note and a series loss in India, after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign could be yet an other massive reversal. 

Jofra Archer spitting fire, with his searing pace, upon his return to action, augments well for the visitors, as does the pace and aggression of Mark Mood. The batting has let them down big time in the opening two matches, and they’ll need to much better if they are to avoid another series defeat. 

Match Details

Match: IND vs ENG, 3rd T20I, England tour of India, 2025

Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Time: 7:00 PM

Venue: Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot

Pitch and Weather Report

There are only two types of wickets mostly possible in Rajkot due to its geography . A road that many equate to the highway that runs adjacent to the the Niranjan Shah Stadiumm, and a rank turner that the home team (Saurashtra) often utilise in their favour like they did last week, to suit their spin attack. Given this is a T20 international there’s hardly any doubt what  the surface has in the offing. So, expect a flat track with loads of runs, and dew that most likely will make the toss of paramount importance once again.

On January 28 the weather in Rajkot is expected to stay clear, with no prospect of rain. 

IND vs ENG Squads

IND: Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh , Harshit Rana

ENG: Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Rehan Ahmed

IND vs ENG Probable Playing XIs

IND: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.

ENG: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (capt), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid.

Match Prediction

We are expecting IND to continue their winning momentum and gain an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five match series. They have a relatively more balanced squad with a potent batting department. ENG, on the other hand have failed to click well as a batting unit. 

Thus, we are backing IND to win this encounter. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket



Team 1



Team 2