India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field first against England in the third T20I of the five-match series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Tuesday, with the visitors making one change by bringing in young batter Vaibhav in place of Sanju Samson.
With the opening match washed out and England registering a commanding victory in the second T20I, India head into the contest needing a win to keep the series alive. Another defeat would leave Iyer’s side with too much ground to make up in the remaining two matches.
England, led by Harry Brook, would also have preferred to bowl first but expressed confidence in their batting depth and the balance of their attack, with Jofra Archer returning and Josh Tongue earning an opportunity after consistent performances.
Captains’ take at toss
Shreyas Iyer (India):
“We are going to field first. There is one change to the side with Vaibhav coming in for Sanju. Vaibhav is absolutely ready and over the last few months he has shown his quality against world-class bowlers. There was never any extra pressure in selecting him because he deserves his place in the squad.
“What stands out is his calm nature and the fact that he does not get overwhelmed by situations. The way he bats in the nets and takes on bowlers reflects the confidence and talent he possesses. As for Sanju missing out, the depth of talent Indian cricket continues to produce is remarkable. It keeps everyone on their toes and reminds us that pressure is a privilege.”
Harry Brook (England):
“We would have bowled first as well. The last time we played a T20I here and scored over 300 was an incredible day, though we can’t repeat it unless we are chasing that kind of total.
“We are excited to be up against a strong Indian side. We are happy with the team selection, with Jofra returning and Tongue earning his opportunity after performing consistently. Both bring pace as well as skill with their slower balls, yorkers and variations, giving us good balance in the attack.
“We have also done our homework on Vaibhav and made a few tactical plans, but now it is about executing them well on the field.”
Playing XI
India: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
England: Harry Brook (capt), Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.