Mark Wood during the practice session ahead of the 3rd T20 Cricket match between India and England at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Monday January 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

The England bowling attack has been told not to worry about leaking runs and rather just focus on taking wickets against an ultra-aggressive Indian batting unit, senior pacer Mark Wood said on Monday.

Wood, who is in the middle of his first international commitment since July, has bowled decently in the series thus far. Fellow pacer Jofra Archer, however, conceded as many as 60 runs in four overs in the previous game in Chennai with Tilak Varma taking him to the cleaners.

India have taken their T20 game to the next level under skipper Suryakymar Yadav and England must find a way to counter them in third T20I here on Tuesday. India lead the five match series 2-0.

“We’ll just be trying to take wickets. I don’t think (Brendon) McCullum wants us to worry about runs too much, he’s all about how can we impact the game that way,” Wood said on the eve of the third T20I.

“We bowled well in the last game as a group. With the target they were chasing (167), we were always looking for that attacking option of taking wickets. Some might have went for a few runs at times but I also felt what was going to win us the game was trying to bowl them out.” England have struggled against the Indian spinners while the pace group led by Wood has posed a few challenges for the host team’s batters. Rajkot pitch usually offers plenty of runs, making it a batters versus batters contest.

“Speaking of pace against spin, I still think we’ve got one of the best spinners in the world in Adil Rashid, he’s a huge weapon for us and every time he plays, he looks like he’s going to get wickets. I wouldn’t count him out of our attack, he’s a vital part of it,” said Wood.

“And we’ve got a lot of options: Livingstone, Bethell, if he comes back. As a pace bowling group, the other night maybe there was one or two overs we might have changed but in general we kept coming at the India batters.

“One guy played exceptionally well (Tilak Varma), if the luck was slightly different: a top-edge that went for six over the wicketkeeper, if that goes straight up in the air, it’s a different story,” explained the 35-year-old.

Coming back to action after a long lay-off, Wood is satisfied with the pace he is generating but is seeking more accuracy.

“I felt a little bit hit and miss – I’ve done a couple of good things, it’s great that my pace has been up there and I feel it’s coming out my hand well but the accuracy at times hasn’t been quite where I wanted it. But when I haven’t played since August, it’s pretty much expected – I’ve played two games since then.”

“Hopefully the more I play, the better I get leading into the 50-over stuff and the Champions Trophy. I’ll keep trying my best and try to improve in training. Hopefully that narrows my focus even more.”

On India’s young guns including Varma and Abhishek Sharma, Wood added: “They play good shots. The depth of Indian batting, they have got experienced players and these young guys coming in but my concentration is on England.”

England’s team players during the practice session ahead of the third T20 international against India in Rajkot on January 27, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

Different strokes work for different folks and Tuesday’s (January 28, 2025) third T20I will reveal who among India and England got their tactics right as a high-scoring encounter beckons at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.

While the Men in Blue found success with their deep batting line-up and a spin-heavy bowling attack, the visitor’s decision to back its pace battery struck out in the first two matches.

England, however, remains committed to its strategy and has gone with an unchanged XI. India has held its cards close to its chest.

The conundrum in front of skipper Suryakumar Yadav will be Mohammed Shami’s return to international cricket. While the think-tank will welcome the veteran pacer getting more overs under his belt ahead of the Champions Trophy, India will be wary of tinkering with a winning combination and losing sight of the immediate task at hand — getting an unassailable lead in the series.

Varun Chakaravarthy & Co. set up a modest run chase in Kolkata as the touring willow-wielders found it difficult to pick the Indian tweakers. The game’s fate was sealed in the first innings as England’s 132 was hunted down in 12.5 overs with Abhishek Sharma (79, 34b) being the wrecker-in-chief.

The Englishmen, though, had their moments in Chennai. The heroics of Jos Buttler (45, 30b) and Brydon Carse (31 off 17 balls & three for 29) were not enough for a win as England let go of a golden chance to draw level. India was reeling at 78 for five in pursuit of 166 and it took a sensational knock from Tilak Varma (72 n.o., 55b) for the host to get past the finish line.

Indian batters will have to sharpen up quickly as England bowlers are not far from getting into their groove.

Buttler’s one-man show with the bat (113 runs) is a cause for concern for England. The openers did not touch double digits in their two outings and will be hoping that the flat track and short boundaries here will turn their fortunes.

Harry Brook — who lost his stumps to Varun twice in a row — did not look at his best as he sweated it out against net bowlers on the eve of the match. The England vice-captain will be keen on finding better timing under the clear skies come match-day.

A glance at the mammoth totals amassed in the recent ODI series between the Women in Blue and Ireland here is further proof that the contest will revolve around which team can pack a punch better.

An evening full of sixes is a safe bet.

The teams:

India (from): Suryakumar Yadav (Capt.), Axar Patel (Vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube and Ramandeep Singh.

England: Jos Buttler (Capt.), Harry Brook (Vice-capt.), Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood.

Match officials: On-field umpires: K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Rohan Pandit; Third umpire: Nitin Menon; Match referee: Javagal Srinath.

Match starts at 7 p.m.