India vs England 3rd Test: SCA Stadium Rajkot Pitch Report, Weather Forecast, Stats & Record

Team India will look to carry on the momentum and take the lead in the series when they face England in third of the five-match Anthony de Mello Trophy Test series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot, starting on Thursday (February 15).

Rohit Sharma-led India had suffered a 28-run loss to Ben Stokes' England in the series opener on a testing surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad last month, but the home side bounced back to level the series in Visakhapatnam a week later.

SCA Stadium, Rajkot Test stats, record, pitch report and weather forecast for India vs England 3rd Test

Team India rode on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double century to pile up 396 runs at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium in Vizag, where Jasprit Bumrah’s six-wicket haul helped the hosts bundle out England for 255 and in the progress took a 141-run lead.

The home side then saw Shubman Gill return to form with a century as they set a target of 399 for Stokes’ England to chase in the fourth innings. The visitors looked set on pulling off a record chase until Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin combined to bowl them out for 292.

India sealed a 106-run victory on the fourth day of the second Test. Now, after a 10-day break they will once again look to test Bazball on possibly a slow turning track.

India and England will meet for the second time in Test format at the Rajkot venue, where they played out a draw in 2016. In the only other Test and the most recent red ball international match at the venue, India beat West Indies by an innings and 272 runs in 2018.

Now, before their second meeting at the venue, here is a look at the SCA Stadium Stats, Record, Pitch Report and Rajkot Weather Forecast ahead of India vs England 3rd Test:

SCA Stadium Pitch Report

The pitches at the SCA Stadium have been batting friendly in the first two days, but tend to assist the spinners as the match wears on like most wickets in the country. They have also provided some assistance to the quicks over the years as well.

A slow turner rather than a rage turner is expected to be prepared for the IND vs ENG Test. Kuldeep Yadav, who had a five-wicket haul at the venue in the last Test outing, will be eager to bowl here again alongside R Ashwin and the returning Saurashtra’s own Ravindra Jadeja.

The last time a Test match was hosted at the venue, India ran out winners by an innings and 272 runs against West Indies with the game ending inside the third day as Kuldeep (5 for 57) in the second innings and R Ashwin (4 for 37) in the first innings starred with the ball for the hosts.

India played three specialist spinners in that match, and all three contributed to the wickets column. So, India may be tempted to play all their four options against England if they feel the wicket is going to be as reported a slow turner.

Overall in the two Tests so far, the team batting first has won once, while captains winning the toss have preferred to bat first and get runs on the board when the wicket is more easier to score on. The average scores also show, the team batting first, get more runs on the board.

Rajkot Weather Forecast for February 15 to February 19

The weather forecast from Thursday (February 15) to Monday (February 19) indicates warm conditions throughout the playing days with max temperature of 32-36° C. There is no threat of rain. So, weather will not play spoilsport in the IND vs ENG 3rd Test.

SCA Stadium Test Stats and Record

Matches: 2
India Won: 1
Visiting Team Won: 0
Match Drawn: 1
Matches Won Batting 1st: 1
Matches Won Batting 2nd: 0
Highest Team Total: 649/9 by India vs West Indies in 2018
Lowest Team Total: 181 All Out by West Indies vs India in 2018
Average 1st Innings Score: 593
Average 2nd Innings Score: 334
Average 3rd Innings Score: 228
Average 4th Innings Score: 172
Highest Individual Score: Virat Kohli (India) - 139 vs West Indies in 2018
Best Bowling Innings: Kuldeep Yadav (India) - 5 for 57 vs West Indies in 2018
Best Bowling Match: Adil Rashid (England) - 7 for 158 vs India in 2016
Most Runs: Virat Kohli & Cheteshwar Pujara (India) – 228 Runs Each
Total Fifties: 6 Fifties
Most Fifties: R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara (India), Roston Chase, Kieran Powell (West Indies) & Haseeb Hameed (England) – 1 Fifty Each
Total Hundreds: 9 Centuries
Most Hundreds: Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, Prithvi Shaw (India) & Ben Stokes, Alastair Cook, Joe Root (England) - 1 Century Each
Total Sixes: 33 Sixes
Most Sixes: Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 6 Sixes
Total Fours: 266 Fours
Most Fours: Cheteshwar Pujara (India) – 33 Fours
Most Wickets: R Ashwin (India) - 9 wickets in 2 matches
Most 5 Wicket Innings: Kuldeep Yadav (India) - 1 Five Wicket Haul

India vs England 3rd Test Dates, Timing and Telecast Info

Match Dates: Thursday, February 15 to Monday, February 19
Match Start Time (Everyday): 9:30 AM IST
TV Channels: Sports 18-1 SD, Sports 18-1 HD, Colors Cineplex SD & Colors Cineplex HD
Live Streaming: JioCinema