India vs England Prediction: The series is tied at 1-1

India and England are going head to head in the 3rd Match of Test Series at Saurashtra Cricket Association, Rajkot, India on 15 Feb 2024. The series is tied at 1-1 with India coming back strongly in the second game of the series. Who will win this game of cricket?

India showed a strong comeback in the second Test match in Vizag after an unexpected defeat in the first match. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill played exceptional innings, with Jaiswal scoring his first international double-century and Gill scoring his first test century in almost a year. Both players have retained their spots in the squad, while Shreyas Iyer, who is reportedly suffering from an injury, has been left out. Additionally, Virat Kohli is also set to miss the match. Ravindra Jadeja will make a comeback but will only play if cleared by the medical team. This leaves a gap in the middle order, which may be filled by debutant Devdutt Padikkal. Rohit Sharma's recent poor performance is a concern for the selectors. In terms of bowling, Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Siraj have been retained in the pace attack, led by the impressive Jasprit Bumrah. Akash Deep, a part of the winning Asian Games squad, has earned his maiden Test call. Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Ravichandran Ashwin are the three spinners available for selection. If Jadeja is fit to play, he would be included, leaving the team to choose between the all-round balance of Axar Patel or the wicket taking abilities of Kuldeep Yadav. Sarafarz Khan may also have an opportunity in the middle order for this match. There are a significant number of changes in the lineup for the home team between Tests, which is unusual.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, KS Bharat (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Despite the defeat in Vizag, England is expected to maintain their batting strategy for this upcoming match. The team will focus on the positive aspects from the last game in order to improve their performance. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope will play crucial roles as key batsmen. Crawley displayed impressive skills in the previous match, scoring more than 50 runs in both innings. Ollie Pope, a consistent performer in the middle order, narrowly missed out on a double century in Hyderabad.

Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Johnny Bairstow, despite their recent struggles, have shown a clear and aggressive approach to their batting. They have faced difficulties against Jasprit Bumrah in this series and will be looking for solutions in this match.

Unfortunately, Jack Leach will be absent for the remainder of the series due to an injury sustained in Hyderabad. As of now, no replacement has been announced. This puts the spin attack in the hands of Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir. The team is likely to include one more seam bowler to complement James Anderson, with Ollie Robinson being a strong candidate. His ability to generate reverse swing, like Anderson, could prove valuable to England.

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir

The team that wins the coin toss will most likely choose to bat first. It is certain that you can support the batters of the team batting first to score a large number of runs.

The pitch at Rajkot is generally favorable for batting, especially in the early stages of the match. There is minimal grass on the surface and the ball comes nicely off the bat. The average score in the first innings of the two Test matches played here is 593 runs. As the game progresses, the pitch tends to dry out and the spinners can expect some turn in the last few days. The weather is expected to be clear with abundant sunshine and temperatures ranging from 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.

Based on the previous matches, we can confidently anticipate another exciting contest in this match. Our prediction is that England will win, primarily due to their stronger and deep batting lineup. On the other hand, India is lacking some of its key players and their batting looks relatively weaker. Place your bet on England to win.