Leeds Test: India look favourites to strengthen lead

Even in the most joyous camps, there are always a few questions rearing their heads at the first opportunity. That joyous camp is Team India’s these days but the questions, despite the fanning from outside, are not as threatening as they have been made to sound.

While the question regarding Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara’s place in the final XI still merits discussion, what India will not be concerned about is the other one about R Ashwin playing his first Test on the tour.

Other than these two seemingly innocuous points, there is not much that India needs to ponder about as they gear up for the third Test of the series at Leeds. All Virat Kohli’s men need to do is to not lift their legs off the pedal, keeping the opposition in the corner.

The same cannot be said about the hosts though. Mark Wood has joined the long list of players who are missing from the series. Wood was one of the brighter spots for England in the last Test, threatening to trouble the Indian batsmen with his pace.

Joe Root accepted in the press conference that his team desperately wants to make a comeback in the series. That desperation is reflected in the call-up of Dawid Malan, who incidentally last played a Test three years ago against the same opposition.

To finalize a team that not just matches India in the might but also manages to stand up to the verbal duels in which India have clearly towered over them is going to be a challenge for Joe Root. He asserted in the press conference that England are going to stick to their game plan and focus on it but for how long can they resist the temptation to get into the fight mastered by India under Virat Kohli will be interesting to note.

As far as the venue is concerned, India return to Leeds in a Test match for the first time since the 2002 tour, when they had secured a victory by an innings and 46 runs. In fact, Leeds has been one of the friendly grounds for Team India, where they last lost a Test match way back in 1967.

With a match in their pocket and the opposition battling injury concerns, Virat’s men look like the favourites to go 2-0 up in the series.