5 Factors that turned India's fortunes in 3rd Test

India was down and out of the series when England had thrashed them in the second Test by an innings and 159 runs. After an astounding performance from the English side, they were the firm favourites to win the third Test and also the series.

The Indian team, on the other hand, had different ideas and scripted a miraculous win in the third Test. As a result of this win, the series is well and truly alive, and one would expect a very close result between the two teams.

It was complete domination by Virat Kohli and Co. and no one expected this kind of turnaround, especially after the Lords Test. Indian players showed great intent and each player provided vital contributions to the team's victory.

There were a lot of factors which changed the course of the Test match. Let us find out those factors which helped the Indian team in making a strong comeback.

---

#5 Solid opening partnership

Dhawan and KL Rahul played a crucial role in India's batting dominance

Before the Test series, all eyes were on the Indian batsmen who had struggled in the English conditions previously. Especially, for the openers, it was an uphill task to give a good start against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

After the second Test was concluded, there was a major concern hovering around the opening batting as all the three batsmen had failed to score many runs. Finally, the team management got the perfect opening combination after persisting with Lokesh Rahul and bringing Shikhar Dhawan in place of Murali Vijay.

The duo stitched an important opening partnership of 60 runs on Day 1 and scored the same amount of runs in the second innings. As a result of this partnership, India got a solid foundation, and it was easy for the middle order batsmen to cash into it.

The form of the openers was a big boost not only for this match but also for the upcoming Tests.

#4 Middle-order contribution

Kohli was the chief architect in both the innings

The Indian middle order along with the openers was also under severe criticism as they failed to apply themselves in the swinging conditions. The failure of the openers meant that the middle order was exposed to the new ball which led to their downfall.

Virat Kohli was the only batsman in the batting line-up who looked comfortable and scored runs at will. The biggest disappointments were Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Also, Dinesh Karthik was expected to play a big role given his experience but failed to replicate the same.

In the third Test, all the batsmen in the middle order performed exceedingly well with Kohli leading all the way along with Rahane and Pujara. The partnership between Rahane and Kohli of 159 runs was one of the defining moment of this match and laid the foundation for a big win.

#3 Rishabh Pant's effective wicket-keeping

Rishabh Pant did a great job with the gloves especially considering the swinging conditions.

After Dinesh Karthik disastrous performance in the first two Tests, the inclusion of Rishabh Pant as a wicket-keeper batsman was inevitable. India needed someone in the lower order who had counter attack abilities and could instil some aggression in the batting line-up.

Pant looked perfect fit for the role of a dynamic batsman, but as a wicketkeeper, there were some concerns. He had conceded a lot of runs in the form of byes and leg byes. In the match against England Lions, he conceded 18 byes and 9 leg byes while against West Indies A he leaked 28 byes and 31 leg byes.

In contrast, Pant did an excellent job with gloves and took five catches in the first innings on his Test debut. He also played a handy knock of 24 runs in the first innings. The inclusion of Pant was a crucial factor as he brought up a lot of energy with his aggressive batting approach and his athleticism with wicket keeping

#2 Hardik Pandya's incredible bowling spell

Hardik had picked up five wickets in just 29 balls in the first innings

Many experts believed that Hardik Pandya's presence in the team as an all-rounder was hurting India's chances. His performance both with the bat and ball was not that promising. His role as the 5th bowling option was disappointing.

In the third Test, he regained his all-rounder tag with a game-changing spell of five-wicket haul which changed the course of the game drastically. His quickfire fifty was also crucial as it helped in the early declaration of the second innings.

The rejuvenation of Pandya as an all-rounder was not only a big factor in this Test but also it is a big boost ahead of the remaining Tests. His match-winning performance can help the Indian team in winning the series.

#1 The comeback of Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit was really impressive in the second innings of the third Test

Despite losing the first two Tests of the series, the only silver lining for the Indian team was the consistent bowling performances. India's bowling attack looked very potent even without the service of their premier bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

After recovering from the injury, Bumrah finally got the chance in the playing XI in the third Test. With his addition, the bowling line-up got a big boost. As expected, Bumrah did not disappoint anyone and picked up the important wickets in this match.

Bumrah picked up two wickets in the first innings while in the second innings he picked up a 2nd five-wicket haul of his career. It was a crucial spell as Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes were looking to change the course of the match, and it was Bumrah who broke the important partnership.

Bumrah's defining spell in the second innings was one of the main factors which helped India in securing a big win.