3rd Test, England vs India: Preview, pitch report and stats
England and India are set to face each other in the third Test match, starting on Wednesday at Headingley in Leeds. Team India has a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after having won the second encounter at Lord's. England have been pegged back by a few injuries, besides making a few changes. For Team India, they could go in with a settled XI.
As per reports, there is little chance of rain and we might not have any significant interruptions during the Test match. As far as the pitch is concerned, the seamers will get a purchase on this wicket. Batters will be in the game and need to be patient with the approach. One expects to see an even contest between bat and ball.
Dream11 team prediction (option 1): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (vc), Joe Root (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Robinson, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, James Anderson Dream11 team prediction (option 2): Rohit Sharma, Rory Burns, KL Rahul (vc), Joe Root (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, James Anderson
England predicted starting XI: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan/ Ollie Pope, Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, and James Anderson. India predicted starting XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja/ Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
England captain Joe Root has accumulated 9,100 Test runs at 50.00. Root, who has been in supreme form, can get past former star batsmen Graeme Smith (9,265) and Hashim Amla (9,285). Virat Kohli (7,609) can surpass Justin Langer (7,696) and Ian Bell (7,727). If R Ashwin gets a game, he can surpass Wasim Akram (414) and Harbhajan Singh (417) in terms of Test scalps.
England suffered a blow with Mark Wood getting ruled out of the Test. Saqib Mahmood may get a berth in the side. Haseeb Hameed is expected to open alongside Rory Burns and one may see Ollie Pope or Dawid Malan come in at number three. England's batting is a concern and the players need to rally around talisman Root. He has been unstoppable.
The third Test between England and India will start from 3:30 PM onwards. One can watch the match live on the Sony Ten Network and stream the same on the Sony LIV app (paid subscription).
Team India saw Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane play fighting knocks in the second innings at Lord's. These two senior batters, who struggled until then, need to bank on this show. Also, the rest of the batsmen need to support the openers, who have fared well. The pacers are India's strengths and one expects the attack to come out on top gear.
