England vs India 2018, 3rd Test: Preview, Match Details, Weather Forecast, Team News

If the series-opener was an edge-of-the-seat thriller which left the spectators craving for more, the second test was a typical anti-climax as India capitulated at Lord's to lose by an innings and 159 runs.

This tour was supposed to be India's best chance of a test-series win in England for a long time; there were talks of how fragile this English batting lineup is and the lack of an intimidating fast bowler who could trouble the Indian batsmen with raw pace.

As it turned out, the ability of the English seamers to generate movement both in the air and off the pitch proved too hot for the visitors to handle as no one except captain Virat Kohli managed to show any semblance of resistance.

One of the major positives for India going into the Lord's test was their success with the ball at Edgbaston, having picked up 20 wickets with relative ease owing to a disciplined all-round bowling performance. But the inability of the bowlers to keep up the good work in the second test means that even they will go into the Nottingham test low on confidence after the thrashing they received at Lord's.

England have a few worries of their own, despite such a convincing win less than a week ago. Doubts persist over the reliability of their openers, as Keaton Jennings has so far been guilty of throwing away promising starts while Alastair Cook seems woefully out of form and at this stage of his career, every failure will fuel the debate regarding his international future.

The hosts also face a selection quandary with the availability of Ben Stokes after he was found not guilty in the Bristol street brawl. It remains to be seen who paves the way for his return, or whether England opt for the brave decision of leaving him out.

So what should India do to make a comeback in the series? Firstly, they must persist with the core of the team and avoid making too many changes. Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have served as the backbone of the batting lineup for nearly five years now and they must be included in the playing XI as long as the series is alive.

India desperately need them to step up and support Kohli if they are to put up an improved show with the bat. A better performance with the ball is also essential as India would want to replicate their consistency and penetration from the first test.

As England look to extend their dominance and seal the series, India need to show the determination and resilience worthy of the no.1 test team in their bid to bounce back.

Match Details

Date: August 18-22, 2018

Time: 11:00 am Local; 3:30 pm IST; 10:00 am GMT

Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Weather and Conditions

Scattered showers are forecast for Day 2 and Day 5 of the test match, but a largely uninterrupted game is expected. The temperature shall vary between 11°C and 23°C throughout the match.

Trent Bridge has historically been a tough venue for spinners, so both sides are unlikely to field more than one.

Team News

How do England fit Stokes back in?

Chris Woakes' incredible all-round performance on his return from injury has given England a major selection headache. How do they accommodate Ben Stokes? Does Sam Curran, man-of-the-match in the first test, make way? Or should Adil Rashid, who neither batted, bowled or took a catch at Lord's, be dropped? Ollie Pope was impressive on debut, but he seems the likeliest to face the axe given that England would want the variety Rashid adds to the attack.

England (likely): 1) Alastair Cook 2) Keaton Jennings 3) Joe Root [c] 4) Jonny Bairstow [wk] 5) Jos Buttler 6) Ben Stokes 7) Chris Woakes 8) Sam Curran 9) Adil Rashid 10) Stuart Broad 11) James Anderson

India will welcome back Jasprit Bumrah who has recovered from his fractured thumb and he is likely to replace Kuldeep Yadav in the side. Changes in the batting lineup are difficult to predict, but it would be best to back the incumbent for the all-important match.

If conclusions are to be drawn from the practice sessions, Rishabh Pant could be set for a high-profile test debut as he was seen spending long hours batting as well as keeping to the spinners. Whether the team management opts for such a risk, remains to be seen.

India (likely): 1) Murali Vijay 2) KL Rahul 3) Cheteshwar Pujara 4) Virat Kohli [c] 5) Ajinkya Rahane 6) Hardik Pandya 7) Rishabh Pant [wk] 8) Ravichandran Ashwin 9) Mohammed Shami 10) Ishant Sharma 11) Jasprit Bumrah

Quotes

"It's a good position to be in from that point of view. Whether he plays or not, we've got some guys in form in the team. It's going to be a difficult decision to make whoever misses out, whether it's Ben or someone else. It's a position we've been trying to get into in the Test team for a while. But we're starting to get some good young players into the team which makes it a difficult job for selectors." - Trevor Bayliss kept his cards close to his chest when asked about England's selection dilemma

"Just believe in yourself. You have been in this position couple of times before and you have responded. One thing for sure in this unit, there is no negative bone. Okay... inspite of what happened in the last Test match, conditions favoured England and that is no excuse whatsoever, it can happen to any side. We are here without a negative bone, wanting to play to win, as simple as that." - Ravi Shastri on his message to the team after going 2-0 down in the series

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Full Squads

England: Joe Root [c], Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Jamie Porter

India: Virat Kohli [c], Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur