Mohali: The deadlock broken in the most comprehensive manner, hosts India would look to do an encore by putting England through another rigorous spin test when the two teams square off in the third cricket Test starting here tomorrow.
After their 246-run win in the second Test, Virat Kohli and his boys have got the requisite confidence needed to outclass the visitors, who put up a spirited fight in the first two matches.
However, as luck would have it, Kohli will not be able to field the winning combination as Wriddhiman Saha is out with a thigh strain, ensuring that Parthiv Patel gets to play a Test match after eight long years.
Last time when Parthiv played a Test, current coach Anil Kumble was the captain while Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly were very much a part of the side. India were at the receiving end of the then newly introduced technology known as Decision Review System.
The PCA Stadium track, once a paradise for speedsters which later became a bowlers’ graveyard only to undergo another transformation into a rank turner, will be the cynosure of all eyes.
A rank turner may not be on offer but the 22-yard strip that is devoid of any grass will surely help the tweakers as the game progresses. One can brace for at least another four-day show if not full five days.
