India are on a high after the emphatic 151-run win at Lord's in the second Test. A win in the third Test will give Virat Kohli & Co an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series and also crucial ICC World Test Championship points. Truth be told, India were on course for a win the series opener at Trent Bridge, Nottingham too. But rain played spoilsport on the final day. (More Cricket News)
Now, the focus shifts to Leeds. The last time they played a Test match at Headingly in 2002, India won by an innings and 46 runs with the trio of Rahul Dravid (148), Sachin Tendulkar (193) and Sourav Ganguly (128) hitting centuries in the first innings.
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India's first innings total of 628 runs proved too daunting for England as they managed 273 and 309 in reply. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh took seven and four wickets in the match as the Indian spin duo wreaked havoc after pacers Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar provided early breakthrough in both innings.
If they repeat that feat, India stand a chance to register their fourth series win in England in 19 tours. And why not, India have every chance to do that against a side that can be best described as disoriented.
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Head-to-head
The win at Lord's was only the eighth and third at the spiritual home of cricket for India. But India are on a five-match unbeaten run against England, winning four and drawing one.
However, England still lead the overall head-to-head record 48-30 in 128 meetings.
Also, India have lost only twice in the previous 15 series, 1-2 against South Africa and 1-4 against England -- both in 2018.
At the venue, India have a 2-3 record in six matches. One match ended in a draw. In fact, India are undefeated at Headingley since their six-wicket defeat in 1967.
But England have fond memories here. In 2019, Ben Stokes pulled off a heist of sorts against Australia. Sadly for the hosts, the star all-rounder is unavailable now.
Match and telecast details
Match: Third Test match of India's tour of England, 2021
Days: August 25 to 29, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM IST/ 11:00 AM local time
Venue: Headingley, Leeds, England
TV Channels: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar (Subscription required)
Weather forecast
Across the five match days, the temperature will range from 18 to 21 degrees. But there is rain forecast on the final day.
Playing XIs in the second Test
England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
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Likely XIs
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Saqib Mahmood, James Anderson.
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja/Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Squads
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.
England: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson.
