India looking to drive home advantage following big second Test win
England v India | 3rd Test | 10-14 July | Lord’s, London | 12:00pm
This is the third game of a five Test series. the sides come into the game all square at 1-1.
Indian skipper Shubman Gill led a masterclass in the second Test, breaking all kinds of records as he scored a total of 430 runs across his two innings. India won the game by 336 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the second Test, but he will be back for the Lord’s game. The big bonus of his absence at Edgbaston was the way Akash Deep stepped up in his place. Akash claimed ten wickets in the match for 187 runs.
India have won four of their last five Tests against England.
By their usually high standards England’s top order have been disappointing in the series. Joe Root has scored of 22, 6, 28 and 53 while Ollie Pope has three failures to go with his ton in the first Test.
Venue: Lord’s, London
The third Test between England and India will be the 149th Test played at the venue.
The team that bats first at Lord’s has a slight advantage; they have won on 53 occasions compared to the 44 by the side batting second.
The average first innings score at Lords is 309 while the average second innings score is 398.
The highest ever score made at Lord’s was 729 for six, scored by Australia against England in 1930. That game featured Donald Bradman who stroked 254 runs.
India’s record at Lord’s is not particularly good. They have played 19 times at the venue and managed just three wins. They have lost 12 and drawn four games here.
India did win the last time they played at Lords however, triumphing by 151 runs in a game which saw KL Rahul score a fine 129 in the first innings.
England have played 145 Tests at Lords winning 59 times and losing 35. There have been 51 draws.
Weather:
The forecast for the third Test is delightful with the game set to take place in a veritable heatwave. Temperatures will be in the low 30s or high 20s for the duration and there is no rain predicted. Of course, this is England we are talking about, so things can change quickly, but right now it looks like proper shirts-off weather for the third Test.
Form (most recent game first):
England: L, W, W, L, W.
India: W, L, L, L, D.
Key player:
England, Jamie Smith: England’s wicketkeeper didn’t start the series with people expecting him to perform the way he has. In a team that is laden with stellar batsmen, Smith was expected to keep wicket and add some ballast to the score from his position at seven in the batting order. But Smith has been a revelation with 356 runs in the series thus far at an average of 178. He won’t be moved up the order just yet according to coach Brendon McCullum but expect him to continue batting with freedom as he continues to embrace the BazBall way.
India, KL Rahul: Rahul scored a century the last time he played at Lord’s, and he is in pretty good form coming into this game. His innings in the series to date have seen him score 42, 137, 2 and 55. Shubman Gill is the obvious form man, but this is Rahul chance – while England are looking to work out plans to combat Gill and Pant, Rahul could be the man to seize the initiative.
Verdict: India
This is a tough one to call, but India have been the more dominant side across the two games thus far. Although they lost the opening Test a big part of that was due to their own sloppiness in the field. They rectified that in the second Test and were always in control as a result. India brings consistency while England bring flair. BazBall is exciting, but it can be a bit hit and miss. Shubman Gill showed how to play proper Test cricket in the second Test and his heroics will undoubtedly have sparked a flame for India who will be additionally buoyed by the return of Bumrah.
