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The five-match India-England Test series is tantalizingly poised at 1-1 heading into the third encounter in Rajkot, which will commence on Thursday, February 15.
Ben Stokes and company made their intentions very clear in the opening Test in Hyderabad as they won by 28 runs to take an early lead in the series. They put up a fight in the second Test as well, but the hosts triumphed by 106 runs to pull level.
India are up against their biggest challenge at home in recent years, with England playing an excellent brand of cricket and consistently asking questions of a shorthanded home side. Rohit Sharma and his men will need to be at their absolute best to secure another win and go ahead in the series.
Here are three things India need to do right to beat England in the third Test.
#3 India need to take the attack to Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed
England have named an interesting XI for the third Test. Jack Leach has been ruled out of the series, while the visitors have opted not to play Shoaib Bashir, who made his debut in Vizag and impressed all with his control and consistency.
Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed will be the team's primary spinners in Rajkot, with Joe Root providing a useful off-spin option. James Anderson and Mark Wood will be part of the pace attack, which will have two names in it for the first time in the series so far.
India will need to be wary of England's unconventional fields and bowling plans, but one thing they can't do is let Wood and Rehan settle. The duo are the least consistent bowlers in the lineup, and the hosts must try to take every scoring opportunity they get.
Both Rehan and Wood tend to be expensive, and if India don't attack them, they could find themselves suffocated by Anderson and company.
#2 Rohit Sharma needs to score runs, and big runs
It might seem a bit redundant to single out one batter and his contributions to the side, but the current composition of the Indian team means that victories will be very tough without Rohit Sharma scoring big runs.
Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant are absent from a middle order which lacks experience and the ability to score big runs. The likes of Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan are immensely talented players, but they cannot be the backbone of the lineup so early in their international careers.
Rohit, who has been disappointing in the series so far, simply needs to step up. The Indian skipper is one of the side's best batters both home and away, and even if his tendency to play big knocks has gone away a bit in the recent past, he remains an out-and-out match-winner in the longer formats.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill finding form, Rohit's contribution will make India's top three formidable. And given the batting to follow, the top order must deliver.
#1 India must bat deep and pick Kuldeep Yadav
India are faced with a few selection dilemmas ahead of the third Test. Only two of Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Axar Patel can feature in Rajkot, and irrespective of the route the team management takes, the hosts will encounter a couple of drawbacks.
Jasprit Bumrah's workload needs to be managed, and if the Rajkot track is flat, he might have too much on his plate if he plays as the lone seamer. Siraj accompanying him thus seems wise, but Axar hasn't been at his best with the ball and Kuldeep might be a better option.
At the same time, though, Axar's batting is a massive advantage, and leaving him out might not end well either. So India's best bet might be to risk it with Bumrah as the solitary fast bowler and hope that the spinners do enough to allow the spearhead to be used in short bursts.
India can't afford to compromise on their batting depth, and after the way Kuldeep bowled in the second Test, dropping him would be harsh. This might be the best way to counter an England team who have implemented similar principles successfully.
