England will be desperate to win the upcoming third T20I against Team India to keep the ongoing five-match series alive. The next match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday (January 28) in Rajkot.
The visitors face a do-or-die situation in the third game after losing the first two games. The Jos Buttler-led team performed better in the second game but still ended up losing the game by 2 wickets.
Batting first, England posted a competitive total of 165/9 in their allotted 20 overs. With the ball, they had India out at 78/5. However, they could not strike the killing blow as Tilak Varma's unbeaten knock of 72 took India over the finish line.
With England desperate for a win to avoid a series loss, we take a look at the England playing 11 for the third IND vs ENG T20I.
England Playing 11 vs India – 3rd T20I, England Tour of India 2025:
Openers: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (week)
Ben Duckett and Phil Salt are likely to be the England openers, playing 11 for the third game. Although both players have failed to live up to expectations so far, they are likely to retain their places in the England Playing 11.
For the second game in a row, Salt was dismissed in the first over by Arshdeep Singh. The right-handed batsman will be desperate to turn things around and score big in the next game after scoring just 4 in the last game.
On the other hand, Duckett was dismissed for 3 by Washington Sundar. The southpaw can change the course of the game in just a few overs and will be keen to deliver in the must-win encounter for his side.
Middle-order batsmen and batsmen: Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse
Captain Jos Buttler has been one of the few positives in an otherwise disappointing series for England so far. In both the games, the right-handed batsman top-scored for his team. After scoring 68 points in the opening game, he scored 48 points in the second game.
With England just one defeat away from losing the series, the captain will be desperate to play a winning knock for his side.
Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone failed to deliver with the bat in the second game as well. Both England stars were dismissed for 13 runs each.
Brook was once again bowled by Varun Chakravarthy and will be keen to work on his game against spin as he chases a big score. On the other hand, Livingstone was dismissed by Axar Patel.
Jamie Smith, who replaced Jacob Bethell in the England Playing 11 for the second T20I, played a useful knock of 22 runs, including a four and two sixes. He is likely to retain his place in the England Playing 11 for the third game as well.
Jamie Overton failed to impress with the bat, scoring just 5 runs and picking up 1 wicket for 20 runs.
Brydon Carse was the man of the match for England in the second game as he impressed with both bat and ball. It was his all-round effort that revived England's chances in the game.
His knock of 31 runs helped England recover from 90 for 5 to post a challenging total. Carse then took 3 wickets to turn the game on its head.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
England are unlikely to make any changes to their bowling line-up for the third T20I. Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid are expected to retain their places in the England Playing 11 for the upcoming match.