Former cricketer Sanjay Bangar believes that the Men in Blues should go with the same playing 11 for the third ODI match on the England Tour of India 2025.
He also urged them to resist Rishabh Pant and Arshdeep Singh despite the hosts securing a 2-0 series win with one match to spare.
Bangar has provided a piece of advice for the Indian team management to retain the same playing 11 for the final ODIs. He believes that it is important to maintain consistency rather than experience with the squad bringing in Rishabh Pant or Arshdeep Singh.
India secured a four-wicket win in Cuttack, powered by Rohit Sharma‘s impressive 32nd ODI century and a steady 60-run contribution from Shubman Gill.
Speaking to the media, he insisted the Indian management field playing 11 and avoid unnecessary changes.
“I don’t think Yashasvi Jaiswal needs to play. If there’s merit, you can play Arshdeep Singh, you can try Rishabh Pant. But, there’s only one match left. KL Rahul has not had that many chances to play for long.”
“Whenever he comes on to bat, there are only a few runs left. But his keeping has been good so you might just want to continue your trust in him,” Sanjay Bangar said.
Arshdeep might just be played because Mohammad Shami has not had the similar sharpness with his bowling…I would want to see the same team, which has played so well so far, for another match,” Sanjay Bangar concluded.
Coming to the pace attack, Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana have shared the new ball in the series so far.
With Harshit Rana not being part of India’s Champions Trophy squad, there is a speculation that Arshdeep could get an opportunity in Ahmedabad to experience game time before the ICC event.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul is yet to deliver an impressive performance in the series, raising questions about whether Pant should be given a chance in the final ODI.
But bringing in Rishabh Pant might disrupt the team’s momentum. India will be heading to the Dubai after the completion of third ODIs.
As per India’s Champions Trophy 2025 schedule, India’s first match will be against Bangladesh on February 20 at Dubai which follows a high intense clash with their arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23 before playing their last group stage match against New Zealand on March 02.
