"It is bigger than any World Cup"- Fans in splits as Virat Kohli finally wins a toss
Virat Kohli, after eight consecutive failed attempts, has finally won a toss in England in the third Test at Headingley, Leeds. The Indian skipper has opted to bat first despite the conditions being cloudy.
India have gone in with the same playing XI and have not chosen to add Ravichandran Ashwin to their line-up. England, on the other hand, have made a couple of changes with Dawid Malan and Craig Overton coming in for Dom Sibley and Mark Wood.
Twitter reacts to Virat Kohli winning the toss
Such has been the luck of the Indian captain with tosses that even winning it is like a huge moment for the Indian fans. Some of them were also shocked to not see Ashwin in the playing XI. Here is what they had to say:
India had a chance to play Ashwin given the heat wave in England and the pitch having lesser grass than that seen in the first two Tests. But Virat Kohli has entrusted his faith in Ravindra Jadeja and hopes that the left-arm spinner can do the job when required.
India's batting, especially the middle order, will be under the scanner as it was the lower-order runs that saved them in the first two Tests. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane did get a strong 100-run partnership, but their inconsistency will still be a concern.
But there will be no bigger concern than Virat Kohli's form. The Indian captain has failed to score a century since the 2019 pink-ball Test against Bangladesh. He has begun to show vulnerability to the ball outside off-stump and will need to work on it.
England, on the other hand, will need to bat well too as it has just been Joe Root who has scored all the runs for them. They are hopeful that new addition Dawid Malan will add some solidity to the line-up.