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ToggleThe IND vs ENG third Test match will be played in Rajkot from February 15-19. The series is poised at 1-1 with England winning the first Test and India the second. The Test series is a part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 campaign.
India will be led by Rohit Sharma while Been Stokes will lead England. Both the batters are struggling for form with selection headaches leading into the third Test. The two teams are heading into this Test match on the back of a 10-day break getting time to reflect in the last two Test matches.
Both teams have injury concerns leading into this series. India will be missing KL Rahul who is ruled out after not recovering fully from his right quadriceps injury.
The BCCI has named Devdutt Padikkal as his replacement. Ravindra Jadeja, meanwhile, has recovered from his hamstring injury and is available for selection. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested in the third Test.
England, on the other hand, will miss Jack Leach for the remainder of the series. The England spinner who sustained a knee injury in the first Test in Hyderabad was out of the second Test. The ECB has now confirmed that he will miss the remaining three Test matches as well. The board has not named a replacement yet.
In another concerning matter, visa issues have resurfaced for the England team. This time it is Rehan Ahmed who was initially denied entry into the country while the England players were returning from Abu Dhabi.
Rehan was stopped at the Rajkot airport because he only held a single-entry visa. He was then granted a two-day emergency visa with the ECB confident that the matter would be resolved in a couple of days.
For India, Virat Kohli will miss the remainder of the Test series after he informed the BCCI regarding the same. The board has decided to keep the reason to themselves while speculations are on around his longish absence. The BCCI has also asked Indian players who are not part of the Test squad to play the next round of Ranji Trophy matches for their respective state teams.
India is likely to present a debut cap to Dhruv Jurel after KS Bharat’s performances in the first two Tests have not been satisfactory. Sarfaraz Khan might also get his maiden Test cap.
It will be interesting to see if Kuldeep Yadav retains his place with Jadeja available for selection. Meanwhile, as per reports, a slow turner is expected to be prepared for the third Test. The Indian batters have had their problems against spin in the series so far.
Recent Venue Records (Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot)
STATS – TEST
Total matches 2
Matches won batting first 1
Average 1st Inns scores 593
Average 2nd Inns scores 334
Average 3rd Inns scores 228
Average 4th Inns scores 172
Highest total recorded 649/9 (149.5 Ov) by IND vs WI
Lowest total recorded 181/10 (48 Ov) by WI vs IND
Who Will Score Most Runs For India: Yashasvi Jaiswal / Shubman Gill
Who Will Take Most Wickets For India: Ravichandran Ashwin / Ravindra Jadeja
Who Will Score Most Runs For England: Joe Root /Ollie Pope
Who Will Take Most Wickets For England: James Anderson / Tom Hartley
IND vs ENG Today Match Prediction- 3rd Test, Who Will Win Today’s Test Match? 2024
The Test series is evenly poised heading into the third Test with England capable of making a comeback. However, playing at home, the Indian players have better knowledge of the conditions and hence are ahead in the game.
Also Read: Ben Stokes will not let India rest warns former Australian legend Ian Chappell
