The third ODI between England and India is being played at the historic Lord’s on Sunday, July 19, with players from both sides wearing black armbands in tribute to legendary West Indies all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, who passed away at the age of 89 on Friday, July 17.
Ahead of the match, players from both teams, along with the match officials, observed a minute’s silence to honour Sobers. West Indies greats Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd are also present at Lord’s for the occasion.
Widely regarded as one of cricket’s greatest all-rounders, Sir Garfield Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, amassing 8,032 runs at an average of 57.78, including 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries, with a career-best score of 365*.
He also claimed 235 Test wickets at an average of 34.03. Sobers featured in just one ODI for the West Indies before retiring in 1974, a year ahead of the inaugural Men’s ODI World Cup in 1975.
A perfectly observed minute's silence for one of the greats of the game, Sir Garfield Sobers 🖤 pic.twitter.com/Pi8ZJD2tSG
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 19, 2026
The third ODI at Lord’s will decide the series after it was locked at 1-1. India claimed a six-wicket victory in the opener at Birmingham before England levelled the series with a four-wicket win in Cardiff.
India Opt For Three Changes In Lord’s Series Decider
Team India made three changes to their playing XI for the third and series-deciding ODI at Lord’s. Two of the changes were injury-enforced, with all-rounder Washington Sundar and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah ruled out.
KL Rahul returned to the side after missing the second ODI, while Shivam Dube was left out. India also included Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav, opting for a four-man pace attack. However, Kuldeep Yadav was once again omitted from the playing XI.
India Playing XI – Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.
England won the toss and chose to bat first, leaving India with a stern challenge in the absence of injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
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