England Look To Bounce Back At The Bowl

The 3 test of the Investec series between India and England gets underway today at ‘The Ageas Bowl’ in Southampton. Both the teams can ill afford to let their guard down at such a crucial juncture in the series, more so England. Back to back defeats will plunge this English into an even bigger hole which still seems to be suffering from the Ashes hammering Down Under. While India, not used to leading a test series overseas wouldn’t want to squander away the advantage after Lord’s. Both the teams have to think about their Playing XI’s. With Jos Buttler set to make his test debut for ‘the 3 Lions’ after Matt Prior chose to miss the test matches, there are questions over Ben Stokes’s place in the side after a hat-trick of ducks. Chances are that either Chris Jordan or Chris Woakes could replace him, even though his bowling average has been better than that of Anderson, Broad and Plunkett. What’s surprising is even after talks in the media about the inclusion of Lancashire spinner Simon Kerrigan; he has still been left out. India have their own headaches & issues to get the combination right for the next test match. While India had a comprehensive win at Lord’s, Stuart Binny’s role in the line-up has been questioned. He wasn’t even called on to bowl in the second innings of the Lord’s test match. Moreover, when given the ball, he has leaked runs. Chances are that he’ll be dropped in the 3 test and India might play the extra batsman. If India do play the extra batsman (read Rohit Sharma), they’ll going back to the tried and tested formula of playing 6 batsmen and 4 bowlers. However, Dhoni is still keeping his cards close to his chest and might play offie R Ashwin, who unlike Binny will not only stem the flow runs, but will be a wicket taking option and not to forget he bats well too. For the hosts, the form of the captain Alastair Cook is a major concern along with that of Ian Bell. Cook mentioned in the post match presentation at Lord’s that how the senior players have to take responsibility and start performing. For India, the form of opener Shikhar Dhawan and no. of 4 batsman Virat Kohli is a concern. While Dhawan has had starts and failed to convert them, Kohli hasn’t hit the straps yet. The pitch at ‘The Ageas Bowl’ is still a mystery but reports suggest it will nowhere be as green as the one at Lord’s. In fact, it might be like the traditional pitches in England, hard and carrying bounce to keep the bowlers interested. The fans can again look forward to an interesting, hard-fought test match, with the team which wins the crucial moments having its nose ahead.