After a 10-day hiatus the Test series between India and England gets back under way at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday morning.

The home team overcame the loss of several key players to tie it up at 1-1 in Visakhapatnam just days after the tourists had taken a shock lead with a thrilling win in Hyderabad.

The flat wicket anticipated for this pivotal match has encouraged England to pick two seamers for the first time, while India should be boosted by the return of Ravindra Jadeja to their spin attack.

India vs England tips

• England to win @ 29/10
• Zak Crawley Over 21.5 Runs – 1st Innings @ 17/20
• Yashasvi Jaiswal to be India Top Batter – 1st Innings @ 18/5

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Stokes’ captaincy can make the difference 

England should be refreshed after their break in Abu Dhabi and come right back at an India side that they might now perceive as being there for the taking.

The hosts deserved their 106-run win in the second Test, but England again showed they can handle the conditions with their inexperienced spinners taking 15 wickets in the game.

Set a mammoth 399 to win in the fourth innings, England were still in with a shout at 194-4 until Zak Crawley lost his wicket.

However, the first innings double ton from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah’s devastating spell of reverse swing on day two became the catalysts for a home win.

England will hope Jimmy Anderson, who claimed five wickets in Vizag as he closes in on 700 in Tests, can match Bumrah’s threat with the older ball, while the fact that there is a greenish tinge to the surface could help the recalled Mark Wood have an impact.

Ben Stokes’ captaincy will also determine whether England can force a win on a wicket that produced a high-scoring draw when these sides last faced off on it in 2016.

The Three Lions skipper has outwitted his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma with his bowling changes and field settings so far and, if he outmanoeuvres him again, can set England on a path to victory.

Only one of the 20 Tests since Stokes took charge was drawn and it is almost certainly worth overlooking the prospects of this match finishing in a stalemate to back the tourists at their tempting odds of nearly 3/1.

Cash in on Crawley’s consistency  

Despite England coach Brendon McCullum having famously said Zak Crawley was “never going to be a consistent type of cricketer”, the opener’s recent scores suggest otherwise.

Since the start of last summer, the right-hander has scored more runs than any of his team-mates – 748 at an average of 53.42. 

And the 26-year-old is averaging exactly 50, with 200 runs from four innings, in the series so far.

He has made 22 or more in eight of his last nine Test knocks and remains the only player in England’s top seven yet to be dismissed by Bumrah. 

Young Indian opener enjoying rich vein of form

Crawley’s series average still falls some way short of Indian opener Jaiswal, who has accumulated 321 runs at 80.25 across his four innings to date.

The right-hander judged the conditions perfectly on day one at Vizag, with a chanceless knock of 179 setting up the hosts’ victory.

His form contrasts with that of his captain, who averages just 22.5 so far, and No.3 batter Shubman Gill, who has posted three scores of 34 or less in the series.

India’s middle order has looked vulnerable without the dynamic presence of Virat Kohli or the calming influence of KL Rahul, so it could be up to Jaiswal to do the bulk of the scoring again in Rajkot.

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