India will take on England in the third T20I of the five-match series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Tuesday, July 7. With England leading the series 1-0 after registering a four-wicket victory in the second T20I, the Men in Blue will be desperate to level the contest and keep the series alive. Ahead of the crucial encounter, former India opener and cricket expert Aakash Chopra has revealed his preferred playing XI for the visitors.
Although Trent Bridge has historically offered encouraging numbers for spinners in T20 cricket, Chopra believes India should move away from their three-spinner combination. Instead, he has recommended a solitary change that would strengthen the pace attack and help India make greater use of the new ball during the Powerplay.
Aakash Chopra recommends one change to India’s XI
Chopra believes India should leave out leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi despite the venue’s impressive statistics for slow bowlers. While acknowledging that spinners have enjoyed greater success than pacers at Trent Bridge, he feels India cannot afford to field three frontline spinners in the current conditions.
The former opener has backed Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel to lead the spin department, while recommending the inclusion of young pacer Prince Yadav. According to Chopra, Prince’s ability to generate movement with the new ball could prove decisive in the Powerplay and allow India to seize early control of the contest.
He also suggested that Washington Sundar should make way, with India opting for a more pace-oriented bowling combination to complement Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
Balanced batting unit backed to deliver
Chopra has retained faith in India’s top order despite the team’s underwhelming batting displays in the opening two matches. He has backed Abhishek Sharma and teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi to continue opening the innings, while Ishan Kishan occupies the No. 3 position.
Captain Shreyas Iyer anchors the middle order alongside Tilak Varma, with Shivam Dube providing the finishing firepower and a useful pace-bowling option. Axar slots in as the lone spin-bowling all-rounder, giving India additional batting depth while maintaining balance across departments.
Pace-spin combination key to India’s hopes
For the bowling attack, Chopra has opted for a balanced combination featuring three specialist pacers and two frontline spinners. Arshdeep and Rana retain their places, while Prince earns the nod as the additional seamer because of his ability to exploit any early swing available in Nottingham. The spin responsibilities rest with Chakaravarthy and Axar. Chopra also expects an intriguing contest between India’s spinners and England’s middle order, highlighting Varun’s matchup against Harry Brook as one of the defining battles of the match.
Aakash Chopra’s India XI for the 3rd T20I against England: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
