India vs England: Jos Buttler’s side unchanged in must-win third T20I to keep series hopes alive | cricket news

England have named an unchanged squad for the must-win T20 international against India in Rajkot on Tuesday. A loss here will see the hosts finish the series.

Jos Buttler’s side lost the opener on Wednesday by seven wickets, losing the five-match series 2-0 before suffering a painful defeat by two wickets in Chennai on Saturday.

Carse retained his place after replacing Gus Atkinson in the second T20I. Here he scored 31 runs off 17 deliveries before taking 3-29 to delay India’s chase.

Smith also remains in the starting XI after making his debut on Saturday with Jacob Bethell ruled out through illness, with England also sticking with their fast bowling attack that also includes Archer and Wood.

England line-up for third Test vs India: 1. Ben Duckett, 2. Phil Salt (WK), 3. Jos Buttler (c), 4. Harry Brook, 5. Liam Livingston, 6. Jamie Smith, 7. Jamie Overton, 8. Bryden Cass, 9. Jofra Archer, 10. Adil Rashid, 11. Mark Wood

More to follow…

Carse was confident of returning to the England series.

England may not be able to give Brendon McCullum a winning start in his life as a manager across all formats, but Carse remains optimistic and believes there will be more to come from the tourists.

Asked whether he thought England could still win the remaining three games and the series, Cass said after Saturday’s defeat: “Of course, 100%.

England's Brydon Carse (right) celebrates with his teammates after the dismissal of India captain Suryakumar Yadav during the second T20 cricket match between India and England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India, Saturday, January 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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England’s Brydon Carse took 3-29 in Saturday’s defeat.

“It’s clear we’ve performed a lot better than last night, but we’re not yet at our full performance. It’ll be very interesting to see how far we can go in the next few games.

“I felt like we got a decent score on the board and we kept taking wickets throughout the game. The credit goes to Tilak, he played a very mature and smart innings and ultimately he made the difference for their side.”

India England – results and fixtures

Always UK and Ireland

  • First T20: Wednesday, January 22 – Eden Garden, Kolkata – India wins by 7 wickets
  • Second T20: Saturday, January 25 – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – India won by two wickets.
  • Third T20: Tuesday, January 28 (1.30pm) – Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot.
  • Fourth T20: Friday, January 31 (1.30pm) – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
  • Fifth T20: Sunday February 2 (1.30pm) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
  • First ODI: Thursday, February 6 (8am) – Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
  • Second ODI: Sunday, February 9 (8am) – Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.
  • Third ODI: Wednesday February 12 (8am) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

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