England skipper Joe Root led his team from the front to a brilliant comeback against India in the third test match. The hosts won the match by an innings and 76 runs, to level the five-match Test series 1-1.
England outplayed India entirely at Headingley. After losing the toss, England bowlers put up a spirited performance to bowl the visitors out for a paltry 78 on the board. England also shone with the bat in their hand, they put on 432 and gained a massive first-innings lead of 354 runs. In response, the Indian batting line-up tried to offer some resistance, but collapsed to 278 runs, handing England a victory.
England win the third #ENGvIND Test at Headingley & level the series 1-1 against #TeamIndia.
We will look to bounce back in the fourth Test, starting September 2.
Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/FChN8SDsxh pic.twitter.com/bwV926w2Vt
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 28, 2021
The hosts have a lot of positive takeaways from the Leeds test match. They will be elated with their top-three batter’s performance, scoring half-century each in the test. The skipper, Joe Root was in his usual form, slamming another century. England bowlers too were brilliant as a unit. On the other hand, despite the loss, India will be happy with the performance of their batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Virat Kohli.
Heading into the fourth test match, England will be without the services of their wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler. Meanwhile, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood return to the host’s squad. For India, there are concerns about the fitness of Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder was taken to a nearby hospital to have a precautionary scan on his right knee after the Leeds test. However, there has been no official update yet.
Welcome back, @chriswoakes 👊#ENGvIND
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2021
England vs India 2021: 4th Test – Match Details
When: Thursday, September 2, 2021, 3:30 PM IST
Where: Kennington Oval, London
England vs India 2021: 4th Test – Predicted Playing XI
India: Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.
England: Joe Root (C), Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (WK), Ollie Pope, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson
Who's excited to see these players in the fourth Test against @BCCI? 🦁🦁🦁
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2021
England vs India 2021: 4th Test – Who Will Win The Match?
India will be worried about the form of Ajinkya Rahane. The Indian vice-captain has had an inconsistent run this year. There will also be a consideration of resting a pacer the changing the bowling combination. Ravichandran Ashwin might get a look in for the next test.
on the other hand, After the loss at Lord’s, England made some changes to their batting order. Haseeb Hameed replaced Dominic Sibley at the opening position, while Dawid Malan batted at three. Malan’s inclusion in the playing XI has strengthened their batting attack. The hosts have ticked almost all the boxes, heading into the next Test.
Given India’s vulnerable middle-order, England is the favorite to win the fourth Test match at the Kennington Oval, London.
