RAJKOT, India (AP) — India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the third cricket test of a five-match series that is evenly poised.
England won the first test at Hyderabad by 28 runs and India responded with a 106-run victory in Visakhapatnam.
India made four changes to its XI, with star allrounder Ravindra Jadeja recovering from a hamstring injury and pace bowler Mohammed Siraj returning in a like-for-like replacement for Mukesh Kumar.
Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel were selected to make their test debut for India. Khan averages nearly 70 in first-class cricket and has waited a long time for his debut cap.
Jurel replaced Srikar Bharat, who was dropped after a string of poor scores.
India is dealing with a series of absences and injuries, including star batter Virat Kohli skipping the series for personal reasons and Lokesh Rahul sidelined with a leg injury.
For England, skipper Ben Stokes becomes the 16th cricketer to feature in 100 tests. The visitors have made one change, with paceman Mark Wood replacing off-spinner Shoiab Bashir.
{{/usCountry}}For England, skipper Ben Stokes becomes the 16th cricketer to feature in 100 tests. The visitors have made one change, with paceman Mark Wood replacing off-spinner Shoiab Bashir.
{{/usCountry}}The pitch at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot is ideal for batting. There is little grass on the surface, which should entertain pacers in the first session before flattening out.
The first test here, in 2016 between India and England, ended in a high-scoring five-day draw.
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Lineups:
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jimmy Anderson.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket