London, July 18 (IANS) India and England head to the iconic Lord’s on Sunday for the third and final ODI with the series level at 1-1 after contrasting victories in Birmingham and Cardiff, setting up a winner-takes-all showdown at the Home of Cricket.

England enter the decider with momentum after Joe Root once again showcased his class in Cardiff. His unbeaten 99 not only levelled the series but also extended an extraordinary run of form, with the former captain now boasting five consecutive ODI half-centuries.

Root’s composure against Jasprit Bumrah in the second ODI will give England confidence, but the Indian pace spearhead will be determined to swing that battle back in his favour at Lord’s.

For India, Virat Kohli’s return to rhythm was one of the biggest positives from the defeat in Cardiff. The former captain looked assured during his fluent 65 and is now just one 50-plus score away from equalling Kumar Sangakkara’s record for the most fifty-plus scores against England in ODIs. Kohli also crossed 1,400 ODI runs in England in the previous match and trails only Rohit Sharma among visiting batters in that list.

The bigger concern, however, remains Rohit. The India captain has managed only one half-century in eight ODI innings this year and will be eager to score well at the top of the order in the series decider. India will also hope for the return of KL Rahul, whose absence in Cardiff was felt. Since the start of 2025, Rahul has been among India’s most reliable ODI batters, averaging comfortably above 50.

Selection could also play a key role after Washington Sundar was ruled out, leaving India to rethink the balance of their XI.

While Lord’s has witnessed several unforgettable Indian moments, the visitors have not won an ODI at the venue since 2004. Ending that drought would not only clinch the series but also provide a memorable finish to the tour.

When: Sunday, July 19, 3:30 PM IST

Where: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

Where to watch: The England-India ODI series will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network and streamed live on the JioHotstar app and website

Squads:

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

India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav

–IANS

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