After the historic victory at Edgbaston, India will look to continue their momentum when they face England in the third Test match at Lord's on Thursday.
After losing the first Test match and going 0-1 down in the series, Shubman Gill and team pulled off a stunning 336-run victory under pressure to level the series. India not only breached the Edgbaston fortress, winning their first ever Test match at this venue in their 9 outings, but also marked their biggest win (by runs) away from home.
Shubman Gill took the batting duties on his shoulders, scoring 430 runs (269 and 161) in the match and becoming the leading run scorer for the Indian team in any Test match. On the bowling front, Akash Deep (4 for 88 and 6 for 99) wreaked havoc on the English batting lineup.
Meanwhile, the cocky English side suffered one of their most humiliating defeats against a less experienced Indian side. No batter other than Harry Brook (154 and 23) and Jamie Smith (184 and 88) stood for the team. With a bleak and inconsistent bowling lineup, the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum duo will need to reconsider their playing XI in the Lord's Test match.
These two teams last faced each other at the Lord's Cricket Ground during the 2021-22 tour, where Virat Kohli-led India registered a thrilling victory by 151 runs on the last day of the Test match.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times, and the latest lineup news.
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England vs. India 3rd Test live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch the 3rd Test between England and India in the UK:
- TV Channel: Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports
- Live Stream: Sky Go, NOW TV
Fans in the United Kingdom will be able to watch this game live exclusively on Sky Sports network. Streaming options are available on Sky Go and NOW TV.
What time does England vs. India 3rd Test start in the UK?
The 3rd Test match between England and India will be played at Lord's Cricket Ground in London, England, from Thursday, July 10, to Monday, July 14. Play is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (BST) each day.
MORE: Top 10 batters with most runs in a Test series listed
England vs. India 3rd Test predicted XIs, team news
England went through a batting crisis during the second Test match. Ben Duckett and Joe Root failed to capitalize on the flat track in their favor. While Harry Brook and Jamie Smith stood up for the team at the right time, helping the team with a much-needed 303-run partnership after being five down for just 84 runs.
These two batters are currently the best batters from the English side in this series; Smith (356 runs in 4 innings) and Brook (280 in 4 innings) currently occupy the second and fourth places in the highest run scorers in this series.
Ben Stokes' major concern has been regarding the bowling, where Chris Woakes has led the pace bowling attack, but he has failed to create the pressure. Other bowlers, including Brydon Carse and Joshua Tongue, were not impressive in their previous outing either. Jofra Archer, who was added to the squad ahead of the second Test match, has replaced Joshua Tongue for the third match.
It was also reported that Gus Atkinson could be added for the Lord Test but he has been released from the England squad to participate in T20 Blast. He is yet to recover completely from his injury.
The only spinner in the team, Shoaib Bashir hasn't been very impressive in the series so far but he has kept his place in the playing XI for the Lord Test.
England predicted XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.
As for India, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been doing a spectacular job as the opening duo, providing the much-needed initial momentum at the top.
Rahul and Jaiswal scored their respective half-centuries in the second Test match, having scored a century to their names already in the first Test match. Rishabh Pant, is currently the second best batter from the team and he has been playing some fearless cricket on this tour.
Shubman Gill is leading India's batting lineup single-handedly, consistently piling up huge runs with his centuries. Gill, who has already accumulated 585 runs in just 4 innings, is leading the highest run scorer list. After his twin ton at Edgbaston, Gill shattered many records. Gill became only the third Indian captain to score centuries in both innings of a Test match.
Karun Nair, who has failed to impress in his four outings on this tour, can make way for Sai Sudharsan, who was made to sit out after featuring in his debut first Test. Sai was replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy in the second match, but Reddy failed to impress. Considering the all-rounder's skill, especially on a greenish track, he can contribute well at the Lord's.
Washington Sunder stepped in for Jasprit Bumrah, who missed out due to his workload management. Sundar not only contributed with his batting but also took the wicket of Ben Stokes in the second innings. It is likely that he will continue to be in the starting XI, considering his form at this moment.
Jasprit Bumrah will return for the third Test; he can replace Prasidh Krishna in the playing XI. Krishna, who has been dull with his bowling, has only taken three wickets in 4 innings. The heroes of the second Test match, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, will continue to support as the other two full-time pacers.
India predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.