3rd T20I Predicted 11: Shivam Dube in, Mohammed Shami’s participation unclear

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India will look to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series when they take on England in the third T20I at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium on Tuesday, January 28.

Since winning the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last year, India has been nearly unstoppable in T20Is, registering 15 wins and just two losses in 17 matches. India cruised past England in the first match at Eden Gardens, claiming a comfortable seven-wicket victory. However, the second game in Chennai turned into a nail-biter, with Tilak Varma guiding India to victory from a precarious position. England, led by Jos Buttler, will now look to bounce back and keep the series alive.

DUBE LIKELY TO REPLACE JUREL
Shivam Dube is expected to return to the playing XI after being called up to replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s squad for the remainder of the series. Dube is likely to take the place of Dhruv Jurel, who played in Chennai but struggled to make an impact during the 166-run chase at Chepauk. Ramandeep Singh remains an outside contender for a spot as well.

Dube, a T20 World Cup winner, has represented India in 33 T20Is, scoring 448 runs at a strike rate of 134.93, including three half-centuries. Known for his ability to clear the boundary with ease, Dube’s power-hitting could provide a significant boost to India’s middle order, especially on a batting-friendly surface like the one expected at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium.

NO SHAMI?
The veteran pacer, who last played for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, is likely to remain on the bench as the Rajkot pitch is expected to favor batters. Despite expectations that Shami would feature from the start of the series, his bowling has so far been limited to warm-up sessions with the Indian team.

On the eve of the third T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, India’s newly-appointed batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, clarified that Shami is “fit” but suggested that the team might be saving him for the ICC Champions Trophy next month.

India predicted XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy

England have named an unchanged playing XI with the Jos Buttler-led side continuing with Adil Rashid as their lone spinner. Rehan Ahmed will have to wait for his chance as England bank on a pace-heavy attack.

England playing XI: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

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