Can England bounce back against resurgent India? 3rd Test preview
India will aim to take the lead when they host England in the third Test match in Rajkot, starting February 15. Rohit Sharma's men will be brimming with confidence after they defeated the Three Lions in the previous Test match in Visakhapatnam. With the Test series hanging in the balance at 1-1, both teams will look to fight for the initiative.
Venue, pitch report and streaming details
The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium will host the third Test between India and England. The pitch in Rajkot is usually conducive for batting in the first few days before the spinners come into play with the wear and tear on the pitch. Sports18 Network will telecast the match while fans can live stream the proceedings on Jio Cinema from 9:30 AM IST.
Here's the head-to-head record
India and England have featured in 133 Tests. The Three Lions have the advantage with 51 victories in comparison to India's 32 triumphs. A total of 50 matches ended in a draw. England have lost their last two Test series in India but were the last ones who defeated India at home in 2012. England have won 15 out of 66 Tests in India.
India will miss Virat Kohli and KL Rahul
In a major development, Virat Kohli will be missing the entirety of the England Test series. He was earlier expected to feature in the third Test, but things have changed drastically. Meanwhile, despite being named in the squad, KL Rahul isn't available for the third Test due to an injury to his right quadriceps muscle. Devdutt Padikkal was named as his replacement.
Jack Leach will miss the remainder of the Test series
England spinner Jack Leach, who missed the second Test in Visakhapatnam due to a knee injury, has been ruled out of the remainder of the India Test series. Although England haven't named a replacement for the 32-year-old, they will direly miss his experience.
Here are the probable XIs
India probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. England probable XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes (wicket-keeper), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and James Anderson.
A look at the key players
Bumrah leads the wickets charts with 15 scalps from only two Tests. Hartley is a close second with 14 wickets. Both bowlers own a solitary fifer. Jaiswal, with a double-century in the last Test, has scored the most runs in the series with 321 runs at 80.25. Pope and Crawley have been the standout batters for England with 243 and 200 runs respectively.
Here are the approaching milestones
Anderson is six shy of completing 150 scalps against India in Test cricket. Ashwin is just a wicket away from joining the 500-wicket club. He also needs three scalps to complete 100 wickets against England in Tests. Stokes needs 93 runs to accomplish 1,000 Test runs against India. Bairstow is 98 runs away from completing 6,000 runs in Test cricket.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Option 1: Zak Crawley, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ollie Pope, Shubman Gill, Joe Root, Ben Foakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav. Option 2: Zak Crawley, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Jasprit Bumrah.
