Mohali: With three more Test Matches to go in the series, the next Test at Mohali is nothing short of a must win for England with them being 0-1 down in the series. Although the England team did fight it out in the middle on Day 4 with an excellent display of patience and defensive technique, once H Hammed and Alastair Cook were out, it was always going to be difficult for their side to save the match. 

England might make a few changes in the team and perhaps Jos Butler might get a game under his belt. England can also look to play Steven Finn.

On the other hand, although India won the game handsomely in Vizag, India might also look to make some changes that suit the conditions. The wicket at Mohali is known to have a bit of grass on it and maybe with very little chances India may include a third seamer in the 11. Even the two fast-bowlers might be rethought of because now India’s swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back in the side.

However, Bhuvi is just a little slower than Umesh Yadav. As far as spinners are concerned, although Jayant Yadav had a dream debut for India, Amit Mishra might still be in the scheme of things because he hadn’t bowled badly at the Rajkot Test. The choice rests with the captain.

After a mental defeat at Rajkot, India won quite convincingly in the Vishakhapatnam. At Mohali, England must bounce back and level the series before it’s too late. Of course, some luck with the coin would help, but that’s not the end of the story. If England play to the best of their ability, it would be extremely difficult to stop them.

Mohali brings another delightful contest our way.

Players to watch out for:

India

Parthiv Patel

The left-handed wicketkeeper batsman from Gujarat is more handy with the bat compared to Wriddhiman Saha, at least the first class statistics suggest that. That would bring some sort of stability to the Indian lower middle order which was dependant a lot on R Ashwin alone. Parthiv Patel would also be the man to watch out for because he knows the importance of the match, especially to his professional career and he needs to make it count. Parthiv Patel can very well be the difference between a first innings total of 400 and 550.

Ajinkya Rahane

The vice-captain of the Indian Test Team hasn’t had a wonderful series with the bat so far. But once Rahane gets going, the Indian batting line up looks very very dangerous. Ajinkya has been getting starts in the series and it’s just a matter of converting those into big innings, which he is very well capable of evident from his average of above 50.

Mohammed Shami

Mohammad Shami has spearheaded India’s pace attack brilliantly and picked up wickets or bowled unplayable spells at crucial stages of the game. With the Mohali wicket which has a little grass on it, a delight for a bowler like him, Shami can certainly bring a lot more sharpness to the Indian bowling attack.

R Ashwin

The man is a native of this list for quite some time, he doesn’t move and may he have a long and glorious career. In Indian conditions, R Ashwin is one of the all time greats, he is a legend, his strike rates insane, beyond his era and generation. R Ashwin can do the magic yet again at Mohali and he is surely the man to watch out for.

England

Alastair Cook

The England Captain has shown already what he is capable of with a century and a half century in the four innings that he has played. Cook can certainly change the course of the match once set and is known for his big hundreds. Cook is a massive run getter, more so, in Asian Conditions. England would hope that he continues in the same way.

Joe Root

England’s Mr. Consistent, one of the best in world cricket at the moment, Joe Root can snatch the match from your hands in no time. He is a very flexible and adaptive batsman which helps England to mould them self according to the situation. Root alone is enough to transform the pressure to the opponent team.

Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad is another outstanding seam bowler that England has produced over the years, a bowler who learns very quickly from his mistakes and does not repeat them. Along with James Anderson, the duo can make life extremely difficult for the batsmen.

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali, with the bowl in Indian condition, is no less than a specialist spinner and he has been extremely successful against India in the past. In this series, even if he hasn’t scored runs with the bat at Vizag, he was instrumental in breaking key partnership and picking up wicket. Ali is an added advantage to the team with his all round ability.