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India takes on England in the third Test match of the Paytm Test series on Wednesday, 24th February, at the Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad. This match will be a Day-Night Test played with the Pink Ball at the world's largest cricketing venue.
India leveled the series 1-1 in the second Test at Chennai thanks to a brilliant all-round performance from Ravichandran Ashwin and a mammoth first innings hundred from Rohit Sharma.
For the upcoming Test, Umesh Yadav joins the team in place of Shardul Thakur, with KL Rahul fit to feature as well.
England, who rotated their side to manage some players' workload, found India too hot to handle as the Indian spinners impressed heavily. They will be without the services of Moeen Ali, who'll miss out on the last two Tests of the series. Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood make a return to the side.
With a place in the World Test Championship Final on the line for both teams, expect them to fight it out tooth and nail in this third Test.
Match details
Date: February 24 - 28, 2021 (Wednesday - Sunday).
Time: 02:30 PM (IST), 09:00 AM (GMT).
Venue: The Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Weather Report
It's likely to be hot and sunny in Ahmedabad on all five days of the match, with an average temperature of 36 degrees celsius. No rain is expected on any of the days, although the heat will test the players' stamina.
Pitch Report
The wicket at the Motera stadium is likely to assist the spinners, but will be more suitable for India. The pink ball swings a lot initially, and both the sides' swing bowlers will look to maximize that period.
Predicted XIs
India
Jasprit Bumrah could return to the side and replace Kuldeep Yadav for this match. Shubman Gill could open the batting with Rohit Sharma if he's fit, with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal being potential replacements in case he's unfit.
India: Shubman Gill/ KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj/ Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ishant Sharma.
England
England are expected to make a lot of changes to their side, with some new players joining the squad. Zak Crawley should replace Rory Burns at the top if he's fit, with Jonny Bairstow likely to come in for Daniel Lawrence. Dominic Bess should take Moeen Ali's place in the side, with Broad and Stone making way for Archer and Anderson.
England: Dominic Sibley, Rory Burns/ Zak Crawley, Joe Root (C), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (WK), Ollie Pope, Dom Bess, Jack Leach, Jofra Archer, and James Anderson.
Match prediction
India will look to go 2-1 up in the series to take the pressure off of them in the final Test. Considering how good they were in the second Test, and with the pitch likely to suit them, it will not come as a surprise if they take this Test match as well.
TV and live streaming details
TV: Star Sports Network.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP.
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