India vs England, 3rd Test: Rohit Sharma elects to bat
India are up against England in the third Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The five-match affair is currently poised at 1-1. Despite a few absentees, the home team will be confident of taking the attack to the Three Lions to win consecutive Test matches. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has won the toss and elected to bat first.
How will the pitch play?
The surface in Rajkot is the most conducive for batting in the first few days. However, spinners will come into action following some wear and tear in the last few days. But recent pictures from the venue suggest that there's a good covering of grass and the pacers can be in play. The last Test match played here saw India defeat WI in 2018.
Here are the stadium stats
The venue has hosted two Tests. India have drawn against England (2016) and beaten West Indies (2018). A look at the average scores - 1st innings: 593, 2nd innings: 334, 3rd innings: 228, and 4th innings: 172. Ravindra Jadeja, Ben Stokes, and Joe Root have slammed centuries at this venue. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja have returned with nine and seven wickets respectively.
A look at the head-to-head record
India and England have featured in 133 Tests. The Three Lions have the advantage with 51 victories in comparison to India's 32 triumphs. A total of 50 matches ended in a draw. England have lost their last two Test series in India but were the last ones who defeated India at home in 2012. England have won 15 out of 66.
A look at the key players
Jasprit Bumrah leads the wickets charts with 15 scalps from only two Tests. Tom Hartley is a close second with 14 wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a double-century in the last Test, has scored the most runs in the series with 321 runs at 80.25. Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley have been the standout batters for England with 243 and 200 runs respectively.
Here are the playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj. England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
Sarfaraz, Jurel make debut
India have made a couple of changes as batter Sarfaraz Khan and wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel received their maiden Test caps. They replace the out-of-form duo of Shreyas Iyer and KS Bharat. England have also made a change as ace pacer Mark Wood comes in for spinner Shoaib Bashir. England have decided to go in with two specialist pacers in Rajkot.