England named their playing XI for the 3rd Test match against India to be played at Rajkot from 15th February onwards. It promises to be an exciting encounter as the series is level at 1-1. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open the innings for England. Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, and Ben Foakes would comprise the middle-order batters.
There will be one change in the playing XI as Mark Wood will replace Shoaib Bashir. Mark Wood and James Anderson will feature. This will be the first time that two pacers will be playing in this series. Mark Wood played in the first test match at Hyderabad while James Anderson featured during the 2nd Test at Hyderabad.
Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley would be the two genuine spinners included in the playing XI. Joe Root would also do the duty of the spin bowling for England. Stokes will be featuring in his 100th Test match and hoping for a great performance in the important test match against India.
Mark Wood did not pick any wickets in the first test match at Hyderabad where Tom Hartley bowled a dream spell with 7 wickets that helped England stun India by 28 runs. James Anderson bowled with great control in the 2nd Test match at Vizag. He picked up 3 wickets in the first innings and then grabbed 2 during 2nd innings. The pitch at Vizag was a good batting paradise.
England went with Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir in the second Test match at Vizag. This will be the first time that the visitors will be going into with 2 pacers. The pitch at Rajkot promises to be sporting. The visitors will be looking to take the lead again and make sure that they put pressure on the Indian bowlers with their aggressive approach.
Here we look at England’s playing XI for the 3rd Test at Rajkot
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (C), Bairstow, Foakes (WK), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
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