Mark Wood wants England to nullify the threat of a key Indian bowler in the decider

The contest between England and India was expected to be closely fought and the script has worked out perfectly so far. Much like the T20I series, the hosts have managed to make a comeback in the second game having lost the series openers comfortably. Interestingly, no game has gone down the wire and the victories of both the teams have been comprehensive. However, England pacer Mark Wood feels if his team nullifies the threat of Kuldeep Yadav in the decider, then they can have a final say in the ODI series.

Kuldeep Yadav has tormented the opposition so far with 14 wickets in 4 matches he has played on this tour. The batsmen are completely struggling to pick his variations. But at times, they have also managed to put him under pressure after which the chinaman has dished out some easy deliveries. The third and final ODI will be all about the mind games and it will be interesting to see if he unravels himself on the hosts for the third time.

We have to bat well against him

Mark Wood, in the press conference ahead of the final One-Day International, believed that England should not give Kuldeep a wicket early in his spell and try to nullify his threat. “It’s definitely a plus point for our players to bat well against him (Kuldeep; in the second match). I know he still took wickets but we managed to get some runs against him and put him under a little bit of pressure,” he said.

The 28-year-old also felt that the chinaman bowler could eventually help them in shifting the momentum if he is put under extreme pressure in the must-win game.

“I think the main thing is he keeps getting wickets in his first over. So I think that’s the key going into this game. If he gets a wicket in early overs his confidence is up. So if we can try to nullify that wicket-taking option that he’s got straight away, then hopefully we can shift the momentum against him to us,” Wood added.

Much will depend on how the Brits face the spinners of the Men in Blue in an all-important game of the summer when the home side has been put under pressure for the first time.

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