Kohli’s Revenge: All you need to know about the Mohali Test

Virat Kohli and co. have taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series against England already and now they will be looking forward to taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. However, England are routinely putting up a tough fight so it won’t be as easy as one may think. Therefore as we build up to the third Test, we first need to know that this particular match have a lot in store for any cricket across the globe.

 

Kohli, among all his myriad skills, loves one of them and that is the habit of winning and as India have been in exquisite form in Tests at home especially, it will be a real challenge for Alastair Cook-led England to tame the hungry tigers at their own backyard.

 

Before the third Test match, one needs to know these following facts:

 

• Mohali has many happy memories for the Indian team. They have played more than 10 Test matches in this ground and they have managed to lose only one and that too was way back in 1994 against West Indies. It will indeed need a herculean effort from Cook and co. to create history.

 

• India and England have played each other thrice at this venue and the former have emerged victorious twice and one being a draw.

 

• Captain Kohli has grown a liking for this venue just like Vizag. He played two of his incredible limited overs innings against Australia during the ICC World T20 2016, in which he single-handedly tonked the Aussies out of the tournament. And the other one was against New Zealand during the ODI series where he registered his highest ODI score of the calendar year. With the kind of form he is in, the run-machine is unlikely to fail with his willow.

 

• Kohli is also just 103 runs away from reaching 1000 runs in one calendar year. He has never achieved this feat before in his career. Only Joe Root and Johnny Bairstow have scored 1000 runs in this year.

 

• Parthiv Patel makes a comeback to the Indian Test team after 8 long years. He has replaced Wriddhiman Saha behind the stumps for this Test match.

 

• The Mohali wicket is usually pacer-friendly wicket. But in the last Test match played at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium saw 19 wickets falling to the spinners. In that case, Kohli will have to take a tough call. Jayant Yadav, who had a wonderful Test debut at Vizag might just have to sit out if Kohli opts for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was also recalled in place of Gautam Gambhir.

 

• England are going to miss Stuart Broad who is nursing an injury that he picked up during the second Test match. Chris Woakes or Steven Finn will make it to the playing XI.

 

• Ben Duckett will be replaced by Jos Buttler in the England playing XI as well.

 

• Skipper Cook is on the verge of becoming the 7th non-Asian batsman to reach the milestone of 11, 000 runs in Test cricket. He is just 105 runs away from achieving this incredible feat.