5 Factors that turned India's fortunes in 3rd Test
India was down and out of the series when England had thrashed them in the second Test by an innings and 159 runs. After an astounding performance from the English side, they were the firm favourites to win the third Test and also the series.
The Indian team, on the other hand, had different ideas and scripted a miraculous win in the third Test. As a result of this win, the series is well and truly alive, and one would expect a very close result between the two teams.
It was complete domination by Virat Kohli and Co. and no one expected this kind of turnaround, especially after the Lords Test. Indian players showed great intent and each player provided vital contributions to the team's victory.
There were a lot of factors which changed the course of the Test match. Let us find out those factors which helped the Indian team in making a strong comeback.
#5 Solid opening partnership
Before the Test series, all eyes were on the Indian batsmen who had struggled in the English conditions previously. Especially, for the openers, it was an uphill task to give a good start against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
After the second Test was concluded, there was a major concern hovering around the opening batting as all the three batsmen had failed to score many runs. Finally, the team management got the perfect opening combination after persisting with Lokesh Rahul and bringing Shikhar Dhawan in place of Murali Vijay.
The duo stitched an important opening partnership of 60 runs on Day 1 and scored the same amount of runs in the second innings. As a result of this partnership, India got a solid foundation, and it was easy for the middle order batsmen to cash into it.
The form of the openers was a big boost not only for this match but also for the upcoming Tests.