Having gone 1-0 down, England will be looking to level the five-match series by winning the third Test against India, starting 25 August at Headingley. The two sides were on an 8-day break after the second match, where India defeated England by 151 runs.
Team News
India have gone with four seam bowlers in the first two matches, and they have taken all 39 wickets in four innings (there has been a run out). The formula is unlikely to change, which means R. Ashwin, the world’s second-ranked Test bowler, may be sidelined again. Virat Kohli is expected not to flirt with the winning combination.
Joe Root’s England will make at least two changes. They have dropped both Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley, which will bring Dawid Malan at No. 3. Haseeb Hameed, who had failed twice at Lord’s, may get another chance. He will bat his preferred position this time, as an opener.
England may bring Craig Overton ahead of Saqib Mahmood to replace Mark Wood. Wood sustained a shoulder injury while fielding at Lord’s and was ruled out of the contest.
BlitzPools Fantasy Tips
– Pick Mohammed Siraj as captain. He has taken 11 wickets so far in this series at 23.45, and looked charged up whenever he came to bowl. He has seemed a threat to English batters most of the time.
– Pick Jonny Bairstow ahead of Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper. While Pant’s calibre is undoubtable, but Bairstow has got more runs in this series.
– Go with five seamers – Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Ollie Robinson, and James Anderson. They are highly rewarding options.
Likely XIs
England: Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton, James Anderson.
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma, K. L. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Fantasy XI
Mohammed Siraj (c), Ollie Robinson (vc), Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, K. L. Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Moeen Ali, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, James Anderson.
