India and England will face off in the third and final One-Day International at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Though India has already taken a 2-0 unassailable lead in the three-match series, the Rohit Sharma-led side will look to make the most of what is its last competitive match before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which begins later this month.
The Men in Blue will also have an opportunity to exorcise the ghosts of the past as their last ODI at this venue ended in heartbreak, with Australia clinching a six-wicket win in the 2023 Cricket World Cup final.
Overall, India has won 11 out of 20 ODIs it has played at this venue. Ahead of the World Cup final defeat in 2023, India was on a five-match winning streak at the venue in the 50-over format.
ODI STATS AT NARENDRA MODI STADIUM, AHMEDABAD
Matches played: 31
Team batting first won: 15
Team batting second won: 16
Average first innings total: 243
Highest team total: 365/2 (50) – South Africa vs India (2010)
Lowest team total: 85 (30.1) – Zimbabwe vs West Indies (2006)
Last result: Australia beat India by six wickets (2023)
PITCH REPORT
The conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium have historically favoured the bowlers in one-dayers. In 31 ODIs held at the venue, the 300-run mark has been breached just six times. The last time a team scored 300 or more in an innings here was back in 2010, when South Africa smashed 365 for two in 50 overs against India. In the 13 ODIs held here since, no team has gone past the 300-run figure.
The seamers are likely to dominate at the Narendra Modi Stadium, having picked up 257 wickets at an average of 32.31 in all ODIs held here. On the other hand, through the spinners have been slightly more economical, they have only managed 137 wickets at 39.67 runs apiece.
TOSS FACTOR
The team that has won the toss has gone on to win the match 18 times out of the 31 matches held here. However, in the last 10 ODIs at the venue, the team losing the toss has won six games. Thus, the flip of the coin is unlikely to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the match.
However, as there is always a chance of dew setting in during the second innings, teams have opted to chase in seven of the last 10 ODIs held at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
THE SQUADS
INDIA
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.
ENGLAND
Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Phil Salt (wk), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.