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England takes on India in the third Test match of the Pataudi Trophy on Wednesday, August 25, at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Both sides will be well rested after getting a nine-day break between the second and third Test, during which the final leg of The Hundred took place.
India recorded a historic win in a rollercoaster of a Test at Lord's to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
After being put in to bat, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma helped India get to 126/0 before the latter was dismissed for a 145-ball 83. Rahul, who was content playing second fiddle until that point, began accelerating.
Despite a slow start, he got to his hundred in 212 balls in the third session of Day 1. Skipper Virat Kohli also looked good before he was dismissed late in the day.
India's hopes of extending their first innings score to 400 were dealt a heavy blow, with England sending both Rahul and Rahane back to the pavilion in the first two overs of Day 2. They were eventually bowled out for 364 thanks to a spirited and fiery fast bowling effort from the England seamers.
England then counterattacked well, despite being in a spot of bother early on. Led by an outstanding 180* from skipper Joe Root, England controlled the momentum on Day 2 and for the majority of Day 3.
Root, however, didn't receive much support from the rest of England's middle and lower order, as they were bowled out for 391, taking a 27-run lead.
India's top order was jolted early in their second innings, and that was when two of their under-fire batters joined hands to save the innings. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane blocked and defended their way to a 100-run partnership in 49.3 overs, after which both of them perished.
With India staring down the barrel at 209/8 early on Day 5, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah put on an unbeaten 89-run stand for the ninth wicket, setting England a target of 272, with sixty overs remaining.
A fired-up Indian side successfully bowled England out in 51.5 overs, thanks to a joint effort from their four seamers, with Mohammed Siraj impressing in both innings.
The match was full of sledging and banter, with both teams having a go at some point. Jasprit Bumrah's barrage of bouncers to James Anderson caused some retaliatory action from the England side in the second innings, which ultimately enabled Bumrah and Shami to score runs.
England has made some changes to their squad. They dropped Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley, with Dawid Malan earning a recall to the Test side. Pacer Saqib Mahmood has been called up to cover for Mark Wood, with Stuart Broad out of the series.
Both teams should play with the same intensity and fire ahead of this all-important third Test. Expect another cracking Test match between these two top sides.
Match details
Date: August 25-29, 2021 (Wednesday-Sunday).
Time: 11:00 AM (Local/ BST), 03:30 PM (IST), and 10:00 AM (GMT).
Venue: Headingley, Leeds.
Weather Report
We're likely to have favorable weather conditions on all five days at Headingley. The average temperature should be around 20 degrees celsius.
There's only a minimal chance of rain on any of the five days, and we aren't likely to see any significant interruptions in play.
Pitch Report
The wicket at Headingley should assist the seamers throughout the match while remaining decent for batting. It's also likely to be drier and should favor the spinners on days four and five.
It's a pretty fair wicket, and we can expect another equal contest between bat and ball.
Predicted XIs
England
Haseeb Hameed should open the batting with Rory Burns for England, with both Sibley and Crawley left out of the squad. Ollie Pope and Dawid Malan should battle it out for the No. 3 spot.
The rest of the playing XI should remain the same subject to Mark Wood's fitness. Saqib Mahmood remains the favorite to replace him, although Craig Overton provides another option.
Sam Curran had a bad outing in the second Test. He'll be looking to turn things around at Headingley.
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan/ Ollie Pope, Joe Root (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson, Sam Curran, Mark Wood/ Saqib Mahmood, and James Anderson.
India
India shouldn't tinker with their playing XI. Their four-seamer attack seems to be working well, and there's no reason to change that.
The application that Bumrah and Shami showed in batting also bodes well for the team.
R Ashwin is too good a player to be sitting on the bench, and India could be tempted to include him, considering the more spin-friendly conditions. However, Jadeja hasn't done much wrong and should keep Ashwin out of the team.
India: 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.
Match prediction
India looks the stronger and more settled of the two teams ahead of this third Test. We're likely to get maximum game time, and a result should ensue.
While it's likely to be another close contest, India should emerge victorious and take a 2-0 lead.
Prediction: India to win.
TV and live streaming details
TV: Sony Six
Live Streaming: SonyLiv
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