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The third Test between England and India is all set to begin at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds from August 25. While both the teams would be well-rested after more than a week-long break since the Lord's Test, the Test series has been seen riveting action so far with India 1-0 ahead. However, the home team too would be aware that they were pretty much alive in the match and looked favourites to win even within the first hour on Day 5.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, not only did Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami stitched a memorable partnership to help India make a comeback, their pacers led by Mohammed Siraj helped Virat Kohli & Co. beat England by 151 runs. The team would also believe that they were close to winning even the first Test at Trent Bridge where rain had intervened on the final day with the team needing some 150-odd runs to win.
Weather Forecast
Captains will not only have a good look at the pitch but also read about the weather conditions before finalising their strategy for the Test match. However, as of now, it's good news for Test cricket lovers as it is likely to be favourable conditions for play on all five days at Headingly. In fact, the average temperature should be around 20 degrees celsius which would make for a delightful day of Test cricket. Moreover, there is very minimal chance of rain during the five days of the Test match at the venue which could imply very little or no interruptions in play.
Will we see Ashwin in action?
Given the weather conditions, it would be interesting to see whether the Indian team management continues to bench R Ashwin who has proved himself as one of the better off-spinners in world cricket at least in contemporary times. Since India is going ahead with a four-pace bowler unit and Ravindra Jadeja offers a complete package, with his batting and fielding, Ashwin hasn't been able to find a place in the team so far.
Meanwhile, an injury-hit England are also likely to make a couple of changes in the team, with Dawid Malan also making a comeback in Test colours for the Three Lions.