India vs England – 3rd Test – Match Preview
With the series evenly poised at one a piece, the action moves to Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where England and India meet for the third time in a bid to claim an unbeatable lead in the four-match series.
For a series which was tilted heavily in favour of the hosts, a lot still remains at stake in the wake of the Poms’ impressive comeback win at Mumbai. After finding themselves completely inadequate to deal with the spin threat of the Indian spinners, the tourists made a statement of intent after beating the opponents at their own game.
The 10-wicket rollicking was highly unexpected, but it gives the English contingent a psychological edge going into the upcoming clash. Firstly, they have avoided the embarrassment of another whitewash, a result which was the talk of the town before the series began. Moreover, it gives them confidence to build on from the momentum, and get under the skins of the opposition, which will certainly need to rethink their strategy of placing emphasis on spin, and spin conducive tracks.
Their task nonetheless, will not be easy. Barring http://www.senore.com/Cricket/IJL-Trott-c1576 has had a horror outing with the bat so far, while the lower order has hardly contributed anything of note.
The team selection is likely to be tinkered with following the return of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Samit-Patel-c2426 from the side in order to accommodate two specialist batsmen.
That could be a viable option as England look to change their pace attack. The normally indispensable http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JM-Anderson-c1705.
This means that the tail comprises of the two seamers, along with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501. The latter two have ably led the attack in the series so far, sharing 25 of the 29 Indian wickets and both will be eyeing another fruitful outing.
For http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 has again vouched for a rank turner, which led to a public spat with Eden Gardens’ curator, Prabir Mukherjee, who termed his demands as immoral.
Their much vaunted batting lineup fell crumbling to the spin of Swann and Panesar, leaving their own theories in turmoil. They will be eager to make amends for the embarrassing capitulation at http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 and reclaim their dominancy at home.
Apart from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556. The Master Blaster has averaged 15.30 in his last 10 innings, but will need to find a way to get among the run scorers.
As for Dhoni, there is no better ground to get back in form. The Indian skipper has scored centuries in his last two outings at this venue and will be keen to fend off the criticism labelled at him.
It is likely that the team will shun the policy of three spinners, and include either http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Z-Khan-c98379.
With scores still to settle, one expects an intriguing affair between two cricketing giants.
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