Riding high on confidence gained from back-to back victories, a rejuvenated India will be eyeing to clinch the five-match series against a demoralized England in the third cricket one-dayer here tomorrow.
An unassailable 3-0 lead will not only act as a sweet revenge for the hosts but also redeem their pride which took a beating after their ‘whitewash’ during the English summer.
Billed as the “payback series”, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men defeated England with consumate ease in the first two ODIs played in Hyderabad and Delhi.
While India thrashed England by 126 runs in the series opener in Hyderabad, the Men in Blue scored an equally emphatic eight-wicket win in the second ODI in New Delhi on Monday.
And the young Indian outfit will be keen on maintaining their supremacy over England, who have vastly improved as an ODI team.
Going into tomorrow’s day-night encounter, the Indians will also take heart from the fact that they have leapfrogged England to the fourth place in the ICC ODI rankings with the 2-0 lead, and one more win will only further consolidate their position.
But come what may, the third ODI promises to be yet another engrossing encounter on a pitch which promises to be a belter with the fast bowlers getting more purchase from it than the spinners.
With a host of seniors, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan missing the series due to injuries, it was left up to the young brigade to shoulder the responsibility of the team in the first two matches and they did not disappoint, prompting the BCCI to name an unchanged squad for the remaining three games of the series.
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