Indian Cricket Team went to Sophia Gardens in Cardiff with a 1-0 lead in the series after their win at Edgbaston. The Men in Blue made one change to their playing XI as KL Rahul was ruled out of the game due to sickness. The 34-year-old was out for just one run in the last game and made mistakes while keeping wickets.
Ishan Kishan was slotted into the playing XI as Rahul’s replacement. The Indian side is looking to close out the series with a win. Gurnoor Brar was retained in the XI despite some speculation that he could be rested for the game. The pacer was punished by the ICC for throwing the ball towards Ben Duckett in the last game and earned one demerit point.
England won the toss and chose to bowl first in Cardiff. They made two changes to their side. Josh Tongue made way for Saqib Mahmood, while Liam Dawson was benched for the game and Gus Atkinson was included. It was a surprising move because Dawson had scored 68 runs in the last game and pulled his side out of trouble.
His partnership of 121 with Joe Root had helped England reach a decent total. The two sides have met each other twice at this venue, winning one game each. The final match of the series will be played on Sunday at the home of cricket, Lord’s.
Rohit and Virat in focus at Sophia Gardens
Former Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was out for just 11 runs, which has raised fresh doubts about his form. The 39-year-old, though, has been asked by coach Gautam Gambhir to play his natural game and not worry about the future. The 39-year-old will be keen to score runs and silence his doubters.
Virat Kohlitoo, will come under immense pressure if he fails to get going with the bat on Thursday. The 37-year-old scored just five runs in Birmingham in what was his first international match since January 2026.
IND vs ENG playing XIs
England – Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood
India – Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna
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