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WTC Final spot at stake as India face England in Pink Ball Test

By Mumbai Indians

Team India will be taking part in their third Pink Ball Test as they face England at the largest cricket stadium in the world, Motera. The series is currently level at 1-1 after the hosts secured a 317-run win against England.

A lot of factors right from a series win to securing a spot at the ICC WTC final, will be at stake as both teams walk into the field on Wednesday. India are currently at the 2nd position in the ICC Test rankings tied with New Zealand at 118 points.

We take you through some of the talking points ahead of the third Test between India and England.

Ishant Sharma to play his 100th Test match

Ishant Sharma is all set to become the second Indian pacer after Kapil Dev to play 100 Test matches. He recently crossed the milestone of picking 300 wickets in the whites.

The right-arm pacer has good memories of his previous outing in a Pink Ball Test where he got a nine-wicket haul against Bangladesh, back in 2019 at the Eden Gardens.

Umesh Yadav back in the Indian squad

Umesh Yadav has been deemed fit ahead of India's day-night Test at Motera. The pacer has been out of action ever since his injury during the Australian tour.

In the Pink Ball Test against Bangladesh in 2019, he ended up picking eight wickets in the entire Test. That will be handy as he walks out to bowl at Motera under the lights.

Kohli on his way to becoming the most successful captain at home

After the victory in the second Test, Virat Kohli went on to equal Dhoni's record for most wins at home. Both have secured 21 Test wins at home.

Kohli has the golden opportunity of becoming the most successful Indian captain at home.

Anderson, Archer return for the third Test

After being rested for the second encounter at Chepauk, both James Anderson and Jofra Archer have been called back for the Day-Night Test at Motera.

Both have ample experience of playing Pink Ball Tests and England would be glad to have them back.

Ravichandran Ashwin in splendid form

Whenever it has come to turning tracks, Ravichandran Ashwin has always managed to prove his mettle. The Man of the Match from the second Test is also six short of completing 400 Test wickets.

The off-spinner will become the fourth Indian bowler to achieve the feat after Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, and Harbhajan Singh.

Root may look to bat England out of trouble

England skipper Joe Root is currently the leading run-scorer in the ongoing series, thanks to his double ton in the first Test. However, the visitors haven't been able to cross 200 on the last three occasions with no batsmen scoring a half-century and will be a huge concern for England heading to the third Test at Ahmedabad.

ICC World Test Championship

The battle for the final spot of the ICC World Test Championship gets intense as India faces England at the Sardar Patel Stadium. A loss for any of the sides will put an end to their aspirations for the final spot. A victory will still keep them in the hunt, though it wouldn't assure them a spot in the final.

- India needs to win the four-match Test series 3-1 or 2-1 to qualify for the inaugural WTC final.

- England needs to win 3-1 to qualify for the inaugural WTC final.

- If the series is drawn, Australia will qualify for the WTC final.

The Day-night Test at the Sardar Patel Stadium is scheduled to begin on 24th February from 2:30 PM IST.