ENG vs IND Match Prediction 2025 3rd Test: Match Preview, Pitch Report and Who will win Today’s Match?

ENG vs IND Match Preview

The second Test match in Birmingham saw a little over 1500 runs scored. Team India captain Shubman Gill was the hero of the match for his side. He was in tremendous form as he hit a double-hundred (269 runs off 387 balls) in the 1st innings followed by a 150+ score in the 2nd inning (161 runs off 162 balls). Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the batsmen who made significant contributions during the game.
For England though, it was a difficult outing in Birmingham. In pursuit of India’s 587 runs, England scored 407 runs, all thanks to Jamie Smith and Harry Brook who scored 184 and 158 runs in the 1st inning respectively while Smith was close to another century in the 2nd inning.
With the ball, Team India did not miss Jasprit Bumrah as his replacement for the match, Akash Deep took 10 wickets in the match, 4 in the first innings followed by 6 in the 2nd innings. For England, there were no standout bowler as India won by 336 runs, getting England all-out for 271 runs while chasing 608 runs.
The third Test match at London's Lord's Cricket Ground becomes vital now that the series is tied at one win each. The winner in this match will take the lead in the series and will be in commanding position for the remaining 2 Tests afterwards. The 3rd Test will be played between 10-14 July, starting from 3:30 P.M Indian Standard Time (IST). Below is everything you need to know about ENG vs IND Match Prediction for 3rd Test.

ENG vs IND Recent Form

Talking about the form in the last 5 matches then, England now have lost 2 matches and won 3 in their last 5 Test matches. The defeats came against India in the 2nd Test and New Zealand in the 3rd Test of the series 2024. The wins have come against New Zealand, Zimbabwe and India in the 1st match of the series.
As for the Team India, after a draw and back-to-back 3 defeats in their last 4 matches against Australia and England, the Shubman Gill-led side has finally gotten a ‘W’ in the last match vs England in Birmingham. They still have a huge task in hand to improve their terrible form.

India vs England Team Preview

India 

The visitors would be happy with a win in Birmingham and will now aim higher. A win at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London would do a world of good for team India.
There are few players who have their position in the playing XI under a big question mark. Prasidh Krishna, despite taking wickets, has been India’s weakest bowler in the line-up. He could be replaced by the returning Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the Birmingham Test match to manage his workload for the duration of the 5 match series.
The other player whose place in the playing XI is not confirmed is Karun Nair. Making his return to the Indian team after a gap of eight years working hard in the domestic circuit, he has scored only 77 runs in 4 innings. And with the amount of talent team India have on the bench, Nair’s place in the playing XI might be under threat.
Dhruv Jurel is being touted as the best possible replacement for Nair. Jurel is a capable middle-order batter. He has not had many opportunities, yet he has scored 202 runs in 4 innings. The other possible options team India could try are either bringing back Sai Sudharsan or India A captain Abhimanyu Easwaran.

England

After the defeat in Birmingham, England have added pace bowler Gus Atkinson in their squad for the 3rd Test in London. The English pace bowling has been considerably weak in this series as the move on from the experienced guns like James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
A hamstring injury sustained during the Test match against Zimbabwe kept Gus Atkinson out of the first two games of the series. But he has been added into the squad and is most likely to get into the playing XI place of Chris Woakes as Gus can also contribute with the bat.
Meanwhile, England added Jofra Archer in the squad ahead of the 2nd Test but went with an unchanged playing XI for the match. However, there is a significant chance that if fit enough, Archer could feature for England in this match. There are no changes likely in the batting department and despite failures from several batters in the 2nd Test, Jamie Smith's performance would be a huge positive.

ENG vs IND Head to Head Records in Tests

Team India have added another win to their head-to-head rivalry against England. In 138 Test matches between the two teams, India have now registered 36 wins while England lead with 52 runs. There have also been 50 matches that have ended in a draw. Take a look at the head-to-head record before ENG vs IND today match prediction.

Lord's, London Pitch Report

The pitches in the first two Test matches in Leeds and Birmingham have been batting-friendly where team India batters have made a lot of runs. However, there now seems to be a change of strategy. The pictures of the pitch at Lord's show a full grass cover. This is a typical English pitch surface where there is significant help for the pace bowlers, particularly with the new ball. There is movement expected with the new ball while the spinners might come into the play on the final day. England have also added Gus Atkinson in the team, which is a clear indication of the direction they are moving to.

ENG vs IND Predicted Playing11

England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

Injury News: No Injury

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep.

Injury News: Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be brought back into the playing XI for Prasidh Krishna

ENG vs IND Top Performers

England Top Batter: Joe Root

England cricket team’s star batter Joe Root will be a key player in the middle-order for the team. On a bowling friendly surface, the experience of Root becomes extremely important.

India Top Batter: KL Rahul 

A lot of eyes will be on Indian team’s opening batter KL Rahul. England have improved their bowling unit ahead of the 3rd Test. And with the pitch likely to support the pacers, KL Rahul who has a great experience of playing in typical English conditions, would be a crucial player.

England Top Bowler: Gus Atkinson

England have added Gus Atkinson and the Lord's pitch is likely to favour the pacers. This is a great opportunity for a player like Atkinson who is a very skiddy bowler, has great pace, can swing the ball, he can be a real trouble for the Indian batters.

India Top Bowler: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is regarded as one of the best bowlers in the world. While conditions don't matter for him, but when there is a good support for the pace bowlers, we could really see Jasprit Bumrah bring his best performance.

ENG vs IND Today Match Prediction: Key Player Battles

Joe Root vs Jasprit Bumrah

Ben Duckett vs Akash Deep

Ben Stokes vs Washington Sundar

Shubman Gill vs Jofra Archer

Shubman Gill vs Josh Tongue

Rishabh Pant vs Josh Tongue

England vs India Today Match Prediction

The England vs India 3rd Test match is going to be a great battle between the bat and ball. Both the teams have won one match each coming into this one and wouldn't want to give an inch to the opposition.

The pitch is likely to be much different than the first two matches. Whereas it was batting friendly in the first two games, we have seen a green pitch at Lord's, which means the bowlers could be the difference maker.

When comparing both sides' bowlers, Team India have the advantage with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, who excels in these sorts of pitches. Whereas, Jofra Archer is likely to make a comeback after a long time, while Gus Atkinson is just back from an injury. The batters will have their work cut-out and it will be exciting to see which batting unit comes out on top, but Team India looks to be the favourite outfit to win this match thanks to their superior bowling line-up.