England vs India 2018: India's predicted XI for the third Test

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India tour of England was thought to be a very close series with both teams coming off a series wins. As expected the T20 series was very close one with India sealing it in the final match of the series while England bounced back in the one-dayers winning the first and the third ODIs. India hasn't won Test series in England for 11 years and was looking to re-write the history by winning the test series after a long gap.

All didn't go well as per the Indian plan as India failed to win the first two tests. England won the first test by just 31 runs after India fell short chasing a modest target of 194. In the second test, India didn't even come close to England's total as they lost by an innings and 15 runs.

If India would make a comeback in the series India's playing XI should undergo minor changes to give a fight with the English squad with the likes of James Anderson, Chris Woakes, and Joe Root. Let us look at the Indian playing XI for the third Test.

Openers- Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul

India have the choice of Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul opening the innings, but none of them made an impact in the first two matches. In the first match, three of them were in the playing XI but following a poor performance both with the bat and in the field the team management left Shikhar Dhawan out of the playing XI. Murali Vijay was out for a duck in both the innings in the second test match and would be out of the playing XI for the third match.

If India needs to put up a fight in the third Test against England, the opening batsman needs to step up building a good partnership at the top. KL Rahul who has not fared well in both the tests will get another chance as the sources are in a limit for the Indian squad. He has scored runs quickly but failed to convert the starts to a big score and would love to get a lifeline to prove his class batting.