India vs England 3rd ODI confirmed playing XI, team news and pitch conditions

Does Virat Kohli give Shikhar Dhawan another chance in the hope that the left-hander will find some form and make a case for inclusion in the ICC Champions Trophy or will Kohli say enough and draft Ajinkya Rahane in at the top?

Things to look forward to from 3rd ODI

That is the big decision the India captain has to make for the third ODI against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.

Dhawan has been a disappointment more often than not in the recent past and with that showing absolutely no signs of changing, it does make more sense to give Rahane a shot at making his mark at the top, even if the Mumbaikar might not have the greatest of records in limited-overs internationals.

KL Rahul has not been too great either, so Kohli might even consider dropping the Karnataka man for Rahane, but Dhawan, who went to a hospital to get a thumb injury checked, but batted without any visible problem on Saturday, is the one most at risk of missing out on the playing XI for the final match of the ODI series.

With the series won, Kohli might consider giving R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja a rest, particularly since the man of the series from the last series – Amit Mishra – is waiting in the wings for an opportunity.

Manish Pandey is another player who will hope for a chance, but with Kedar Jadhav batting so well and Yuvraj Singh making that No.4 his own for a while with that splendid 150 in the second ODI, he might just have to warm the bench again.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in for Umesh Yadav in the second ODI and was brilliant in the death overs, so he should keep his place in the team. If Umesh is to come in, it will have to be for Jasprit Bumrah, who has struggled for consistency so far in this series, even if it is unlikely.

England will make one definite change to their playing XI, with opener Alex Hales ruled out of the rest of the tour with a fractured hand. Sam Billings and Jonny Bairstow are the batting options in the squad, and because Billings has previously opened – he did that job against Bangladesh recently – it looks like Bairstow will miss out again.

Adil Rashid was left out of the team for the second match as England went with four seamers. However, Liam Plunkett wasn't exactly impressive – not that too many bowlers were – and there is a chance of the leg-spinner coming back.

The Kolkata pitch, going by the Ranji matches, has been conducive to fast bowling, though, so England might stick with the same bowling lineup, with Moeen Ali and Joe Root doing the spin work.

Confirmed playing XI:

Rahane comes in for Dhawan for India. Two changes for England -- Joe Root is injured and so is Alex Hales, with Jonny Bairstow and Sam Billings getting an opportunity.

India: KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (C), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.

England: Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Jake Ball.