Xtra Time Web Desk: A buoyant Indian team led by Virat Kohli will be taking on England in the third test at Headingley starting from Wednesday, August 25. Virat Kohli will be keen to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five match series. The Indians had their first training session at the Headingley on Sunday.
It is very unlikely that the team management will tinker with the winning combination for the third test. Despite the stunning victory at Lord’s, there are a few concerns with the Indian team. First and foremost is the form of Cheteshwar Pujara. He showed signs of getting into the groove, scoring a valiant 45 off 205 balls in the first innings at Lord’s. Pujara also stitched an important century stand with Ajinkya Rahane in the second innings to bail the team out of trouble after they lost three wickets for 55 runs. The Sourashtra batsman’s score in the series so far are 12, 4*, 9 and 42.
With Suryakumar Yadav available for selection, it will be interesting if the Mumbai batsman is preferred over Pujara.
The Indian team management will also be in a dilemma to include experienced Ravichandran Ashwin over Ravindra Jadeja. The left arm spinner has been wicket-less so far in the series and looked less threatening against the English batsmen. The cricketer from Sourashtra did contribute with his bat as he scored an important 56 runs in the first innings at Trent Bridge. Most importantly he added 60 runs with opener KL Rahul.
It will be interesting if Ashwin is preferred over Jadeja for the Headingley test, a possibility which looks bleak at the moment.
In all probability the visitors will go in with a 4-1 combination with a lone spinner in the line up. There is unlikely going to be any change in the fast bowling department with Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj keeping their places in the playing XI.
The third test match of the series will start at Headingley from August 25.