The Indian cricket team will have a great opportunity to take an unassailable 2-0 lead when they face England in the third of five-Test match series in Mohali.
The tour has been quite an interesting one thus far. In the first match at Rajkot, the visitors clearly dominated the Indian team only to get a draw. The second Test was quite the contrast to the First Test as India outplayed England across departments to take a vital 1-0 lead.
With their noses ahead of England, Virat Kohli and co. might feel they are in a comfortable position, but having learned harsh lessons from the past, the hosts will have no room for complacency and will look to make it 2-0 at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, where it is expected to assist spin.
Early signs from the PCA Stadium indicate that the surface will be conducive to spin—the last Test here was over inside three days, with spinners claiming 34 of the 40 wickets to fall. This gives India the clear edge over England, who also have decent spinners in Adil Rashid, Zafar Ansari, Moeen Ali and could hand veteran Gareth Batty a chance.
England have plenty of homework to do to keep the series alive, not only in the bowling department, but also bring in perfect batsmen to combat the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav.
This clearly means Ben Duckett, who has looked completely out of sorts against spin, should make way for aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler. Buttler, who has played good amount of cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, will give the visitors a balance and also take away the extra responsibility of donning the gloves from Jonny Bairstow.
The tourists are also set to miss the services of Stuart Broad, who has been ruled out of the third Test with a strained tendon in his right foot. This certainly mean a return for Chris Woakes, who was very good in Rajkot despite claiming only a wicket. Young left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari was ineffective in the second Test and should make way for 39-year-old Batty.
Just like England, India, too are hit by injuries ahead of the the third Test. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha has been rested as a precautionary measure, which has created an opportunity for Parthiv Patel to play a Test after more than eight years. Parthiv, who has been a consistent run-getter in the Ranji Trophy for Gujarat, will add solidity in the middle-order.
While the injuries are a fear, the form of certain Indian batsmen also comes under scanner. Everyone were surprised with the way Gautam Gambhir was axed from the squad, after opener KL Rahul attained fitness. However, Rahul too couldn’t disturb the scorers in the Vizag Test. Also Ajinkya Rahane’s poor display in both the Tests comes as a concern moving ahead into this series.

It was again the brilliance of skipper Virat Kohli that helped India draw the Rajkot Test, although he made invaluable 49 in the second innings. In the Vizag Test, Kohli showed his class and with Cheteshwar Pujara once again, he knocked England out of the contest.
For England, skipper Alastair Cook and teenage prodigy Haseeb Hameed frustrated India in the second innings at Vizag, and if the hosts didn’t have enough runs in their bag, the scenario would have been very different in the final day.
Just like Cook and Haseeb, the English batters have to bat extra-ordinarily well and post a big total to give their bowlers a chance. England’s poster boy Joe Root’s performance have tailored since the start of the series and need much improvement for his team to put up any fighting chance.
On last two occasions—in 2012 and 2014—England have staged a remarkable comeback and snatched series from India. Cook definitely knows that the Indian team is susceptible and could anytime crumble under pressure. While his side seem to be still in the series, they have to improve their game overall, pile a lot of runs just like they did at Rajkot, and above all, bowl extremely well.
This makes toss crucial and any team that wins it will look to bat and score as many runs as they can. India’s overall display drastically improved after the Rajkot Test which helped them win the Vizag Test. So, now the onus is on England to improve in Mohali, if they want to make it 1-1 and inject more zest in the ongoing series.

source:tensports.com