England vs India, 3rd T20I: 5 Indian players who need to step up and deliver
After England's five-wicket win in the second T20I in Cardiff on Friday, the action shifts to the third and deciding fixture to be played at the County Ground in Bristol on Sunday.
While India's bowlers did a commendable job in trying to defend 148 in good batting conditions on Friday, their batsmen will need to stand up and be more counted, particularly the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, who are yet to make a significant contribution thus far in the series with the bat.
With the ball, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have looked good in both games as has Umesh Yadav, but the management surely would expect a bit more from both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya with the ball in hand as they look to win their maiden T20I series on English soil.
Here are 5 Indian players who will need to step up and deliver the goods in the decider on Sunday:
Suresh Raina
The left-hander will be crucial in the middle-order, forming the bridge between Virat Kohli at 4 and MS Dhoni at 6. The number 5 position is slightly unusual for him in T20 cricket since he is used to playing more at the top of the order for the Chennai Super Kings, but with KL Rahul preferred at 3, he has no option but to move down the order.
His services with the bat were not needed in the first game, but in the second game he stitched a crucial stand of 57 runs with Kohli which pulled India out of the doldrums which they found themselves in and he will once again need to come good with the bat.
Runs will also serve him good moving forward into the ODI series which begins next Thursday at Trent Bridge.