England v India 3rd Test Match Prediction

India pulled off a stunning win on Day Five of the Second Test at Lord's. They went into the final day with everyone thinking that the only two results were an England win or a draw. However, the Indian team pulled out all of the stops and went on to win the match by a huge margin. Now the Third Test is upon us, and both teams have some issues that they need to address. India have been 1-0 up before in England, but have thrown it away.

Read on to find out who we predict will go on to win the match.

England Team Preview

England have made two additions to their squad and have dropped three players. Saqib Mahmood and Dawid Malan come into the squad while Jack Leach, Zach Crawley and Dominic Sibley make way. This means that Rory Burns will probably open the batting alongside Hasib Hameed, while Malan will come in at the fall of the first wicket. England's top three have been diabolical this series - Burns has a highest score of 49, while Hameed scored just 9 runs in the last Test.

Joe Root, on the other hand, has been in great form and will be looking to cash in more runs this week. We believe that Root and Malan will score some runs for their team in their first innings. Malan, Root, and Bairstow will be playing in familiar conditions, so that could help them put a good first total on the board.

Mark Wood will not be fit for this match, so Saqib Mahmood will come into the team. We also think that Sam Curran will miss out, as he had a match to forget at Lord's. He was expensive with the ball, and he got a King Pair when batting. If he is replaced, then we think Craig Overton will take his place. James Anderson as well as Ollie Robinson should both enjoy the conditions at Leeds, so we will not be surprised if they take the most wickets for their team.

India Team Preview

After the result at Lord's, the narrative surrounding India and their selection has changed completely. There was some talk of Ajinkya Rahane or Cheteshwar Pujara being dropped, but this has since died down a bit. We do not think that they will make any changes for this match. Pujara and Rahane are under a lot of pressure to score, but they will not be dropped. The only change that really can be considered is swapping Ravi Jadeja for Ravi Ashwin, but the former also contributes with the bat.

India's batting lineup is definitely vulnerable, and they were rescued by the tailenders at Lord's. Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have scored more than Virat Kohli so far. Also, it will be a green top, which will favour the fast bowlers. This is the reason why we do not recommend that you bet on Indian batsmen - the odds are just not worth it at the moment.

However, the Indian bowlers are in great form. Bumrah has been bowling with fire, Mohammad Siraj has been causing all sorts of issues, and Ishant Sharma has looked better as the series progressed. We think that Siraj or Bumrah will finish as the top wicket takers for India in this match.

Toss Prediction

The captain that wins the toss will want to bowl first if there is a green top as predicted. However, this does not always lead to a huge advantage. There have been 60 completed Tests at Headingley, and 31 were win by the team that bowled first, while 29 were won by the team that batted first. England have won three of their last four matches at this ground.

Pitch Conditions

The pitch should be a good one to bat on, but it might be a bit difficult first up. The average score for the team that bats first here is 307, which is decent for English conditions. We believe that the bowlers will dominate the first few sessions, but then it will become easier for the batsmen. We would not be too surprised to see a century or two in this match. There should be a result as the last draw at Headingley was in 2012.

Our Match Prediction

We think that India will win again and will take a 2-0 lead. Both teams are a bit dodgy with the bat, but we just feel that India have a better bowling attack overall. All of the momentum is with the Indian side, and we expect them to use this momentum to carry them to a 2-0 lead.

Our match prediction: