India vs England 3rd Test Preview & Betting Tips - India Heavy Favorites

By Site Editor

14 Feb 2024

Site Editor 14 Feb 2024

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India and England go head to head in Rajkot
The third test starts with the series tied at 1-1
Who will take the lead in the five-match series?

India bowler Jasprit Bumrah celebrates after taking the wicket of England batsman Ben Foakes (Getty Images)

After suffering an unlikely defeat in Hyderabad in the first Test, India bounced back with aplomb in the second Test to beat England by 106 runs and level the 5-match series. With the series on the line, the two teams move to Rajkot for the third test.

India will start as undeniable favourites despite several injury and unavailability concerns with 1xBet making the host 1.50 to win the test.

England vs India Team News & Key Factors

KL Rahul will remain unavailable having suffered a quadriceps injury while Virat Kohli will stay out of the squad for personal reasons.

However, India will likely welcome back Ravindra Jadeja at his home ground to partner R Ashwin and Axar Patel in the spin-bowling department, a key facet at a venue that historically favours spin as the game progresses.

Despite spin-friendly conditions, Jasprit Bumrah is leading the wicket-taking charts this series with 15 wickets at a stunning average of 10.66. With the ball reversing, Bumrah’s angle and release points have been influential factors in his rise to the top of the list.

Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley is next with 14 wickets at an average of 24 followed in the distance by Ashwin’s tally of nine wickets.

England have brought back Mark Wood for this game at the expense of offspinner Shoaib Bashir, which means the visitors will field two fast bowlers and two specialist spinners apart from Joe Root’s offspin.

That will be England’s only change for the third Test having announced their playing XI on the eve of the game. Wood played the first Test in Hyderabad but failed to pick up a wicket.

England vs India 3rd Test Tips & Predictions

From a betting standpoint, it’s hard to look past India to win. The venue at Rajkot – Saurashtra’s home ground in the Ranji Trophy – can favour batting in the first few days before starting to deteriorate towards the second half of the match.

That should mean that India’s spinners, who are far more adept in these conditions, should outmatch England’s slow-bowling options.

"It'll be a batting wicket," Kuldeep Yadav said when asked about the pitch for the third Test against England. 'It doesn't mean there'll be 700-800 runs scored. It'll be a good wicket. It won't be a rank turner, it will be a live wicket, good for cricket."

However, England’s young batters have stood up to the challenge this series. Ollie Pope is leading the run-scoring charts for the visitors with 243 runs at an average of over 60. His use of cross-batted strokes – sweeps and reverse sweeps – has created a template to counter India’s spinners.

Zak Crawley has also stepped up, with 200 runs this series at an average of 50. It will be a test of their character to continue to score freely as this series progresses.