India are expected to make at least one significant change to their playing XI for the third T20 International against England at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, with an extra fast bowler likely to replace leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi as the visitors search for their first win of the UK tour.
Led by new captain Shreyas Iyer, India have endured a difficult campaign so far, suffering defeats in three of their four matches, including a 0-2 T20I series loss to Ireland.
Bishnoi's place has come under scrutiny after a disappointing outing in the second T20I at Manchester, where he failed to take a wicket and conceded 60 runs from four overs. His spell included three back-foot no-balls, while a costly 29-run over proved pivotal in India's defeat.
The team management's decision to field three specialist spinners alongside Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy at Old Trafford also raised questions, given the conditions on offer.
With Trent Bridge expected to provide little assistance for an additional spinner, Bishnoi appears unlikely to feature. The leg-spinner, who was even dropped by his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals during the previous season, is expected to make way for another pace option.
Prince Yadav is considered the frontrunner for selection, thanks to his ability to generate movement both in the air and off the pitch. He is believed to have an edge over Prasidh Krishna, whose back-of-a-length approach has often proved easier for batters to attack in the T20 format.
Although Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets in the previous game, including two in his opening over, he also conceded 27 runs to England captain Harry Brook, an assault that played a key role in the hosts successfully chasing down 191 with an over remaining.
The day-night contest at Trent Bridge is expected to be played on another batting-friendly surface, offering an opportunity for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to entertain fans alongside the in-form Abhishek Sharma.
India's batting unit, however, has found it difficult to adapt to English conditions after spending much of the past six months, including the IPL, playing on flatter pitches. Extra bounce, seam movement and the variations employed by bowlers such as Sam Curran have posed consistent challenges.
Captain Shreyas Iyer and No. 3 batter Ishan Kishan have contributed useful runs, but neither has managed to dominate England's bowling attack.
Tilak Varma produced an attractive cameo in the previous match, though much of his success came against the pace of Jofra Archer. Against slower bowlers, particularly Curran, he has struggled to accelerate through the middle overs.
India posted 189 at Chester-le-Street and followed it with 190 at Old Trafford, but on both occasions the totals appeared to fall short by around 25 to 30 runs.
Abhishek Sharma has been the standout performer with the bat, making 59 and 43 while facing just 24 deliveries in each innings, maintaining his aggressive approach throughout.
Having completed his debut, Sooryavanshi will now look to make a bigger impact and take on England's bowling attack.
England's spin trio of Liam Dawson, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid have relied heavily on reducing pace through the air, while Varun Chakravarthy, whose form has dipped since the start of the T20 World Cup, has been bowling considerably quicker than usual.
The last time India played a T20 International at Trent Bridge was in 2022. On that occasion, Suryakumar Yadav produced a sensational 48-ball century, but his innings was not enough to prevent India from losing the match.
Squads:
India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Suryansh Shedge, Washington Sundar.
England: Harry Brook (captain), Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker, Luke Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Rehan Ahmed, James Coles.
The match is scheduled to begin at 10 pm.
