India v England third Test preview:
England head to Mohali on Saturday hoping to hit back after India took a 1-0 lead with an emphatic victory in the second Test.
Alastair Cook’s side held their own in the series opener but suffered a devastating defeat in Vizag to ensure they will have to mount a comeback if they are to take anything away from the gruelling tour.
Here we look ahead to the third Test as Virat Kohli targets another home win to put the hosts within touching distance of a series victory.
RECAP
England dominated but failed to win the first Test before Kohli’s men sealed a 246-run victory in Visakhapatnam. After winning the toss and racking up 455, India were in total control and England slipped to 80-5 while conceding a first-innings deficit of 200.
England’s bowlers, in particular Stuart Broad, rallied in the third innings but Kohli was able to add 81 to his day one century to take command of the Test match.
Openers Cook and Haseeb Hameed made the Indian attack toil but England lost their last eight wickets for just 66 runs on the final day as Ravichandran Ashwin (3/52) returned to form.
TEAM NEWS
The big news from the England camp is that Ben Duckett will be replaced by Jos Buttler, with the Lancashire star set to bat at number seven.
Duckett, who impressed in the one-day series in Bangladesh, struggled to find the balance between attack and defence against spin in the first two Tests in India.
Stuart Broad and Zafar Ansari have also been ruled out, with Chris Woakes set to come back into the side. First-choice keeper Wriddhiman Saha suffered a thigh injury last week and has been replaced by Parthiv Patel.
Were England right to drop Ben Duckett?
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Of course
source: football india
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