 "IND vs ENG: What Champions Trophy 2025 experiments should Team India try in 3rd ODI?")
Team India will lock horns against England for one last time before the Champions Trophy 2025 when the two teams meet in Ahmedabad for the third ODI on Wednesday. Given that the Men in Blue have already sealed the ODI series , some might think that this third ODI is inconsequential, but in reality, it’s far from that.
This series acts as a build-up to the 2025 Champions Trophy that begins on 19 February, so the third ODI will provide India one final opportunity to sort out their best playing XI heading into the eight-team tournament. The term experimentation has been the keyword going into the series, and once again, the Rohit Sharma-led outfit could experiment with their squad in Ahmedabad.
Time to bring in Rishabh Pant?
KL Rahul has kept wickets for India in both the ODIs against England but it won’t be a bad idea to bring in Rishabh Pant in place of the Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter.
While skipper Rohit Sharma has emphasised that Rahul remains India’s primary wicketkeeper heading into the Champions Trophy, Pant’s aggressive nature of play makes him an exciting choice in that Indian middle-order.
Also read | Team India coach Gautam Gambhir faces flak for KL Rahul batting at No.6
Sure, Pant may not have an excellent record in ODIs (871 runs from 27 innings), but he is someone known for his entertaining strokeplay and unconventional shots after all. Rahul, on the other hand, endured a disappointing outing with the bat in both ODIs against England, with scores of 2 (Nagpur) and 10 (Cuttack).
However, the fact that Pant is a left-handed batter could go against him with Axar Patl already a part of the XI.
Arshdeep Singh in place of Harshit Rana
With Harshit Rana not part of India’s Champions Trophy squad, it only makes sense to bring in Arshdeep Singh for the third ODI against England. This will also give him some crucial game time ahead of the multi-nation tournament. Harshit picked up four wickets from two ODIs against England.
There are two possibilities for Arshdeep’s inclusion in the playing XI— Either he comes in for Rana or even replaces Mohammed Shami, which means both Harshit and Arshdeep play. Having said that, Shami hasn’t been at his best in the last two ODIs and did not bowl his full quota of overs. And with uncertainty around Jasprit Bumrah still surrounding, Arshdeep looks to be India’s best bet to lead the pace attack
Impact Shorts
More ShortsInclusion of Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar
It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar are named in the India playing XI for Wednesday’s third ODI against England. Whenever Kuldeep plays, it’s almost hard to ignore him and the variations with the ball that he brings to the fore are something that will work in India’s favour come the Champions Trophy.
However, the player who makes way for Kuldeep could very well be Varun Chakravarthy , who has had a remarkable turnaround in international cricket in the last few months. Washington Sundar could replace Ravindra Jadeja, who picked three wickets in each of the two ODIs but might be rested ahead of the Champions Trophy.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
