England Likely Playing XI for 3rd Test vs India: Probable England Cricket Team Line-Up for Cricket Match At Headingley

England would take on India in the third Test at the Headingley Stadium, on Wednesday, August 25. A demoralizing defeat in the second Test match at the Lord's Cricket Ground has raised a lot of doubts about the England team and their ability to win games. Joe Root has been their best batsman so far but even he didn't escape criticism for his wrong tactics when Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were battling to turn the match around for India on the final day. With their openers badly out of shape and a batting order solely dependent on Root, England have dropped Dominic Sibley and have instead recalled Dawid Malan to the Test squad after three years. He is very likely to feature in the third Test. Mark Wood Ruled Out of IND vs ENG 3rd Test 2021 With Shoulder Injury

The bowling department too suffered a hit with Mark Wood being ruled out of the Headingley Test due to a shoulder injury. This paves the way for Sadiq Mahmood to make his Test debut and once again, the onus would be James Anderson to deliver and lead the bowling attack. Take a look at England's likely playing XI for the third Test match:

Openers: These are the positions, which might see changes. With both Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley dropped, England might go in with an opening combination of Rory Burns alongside Haseeb Hameed.

Middle Order: The English middle-order would once again be anchored by captain Joe Root, who has by far, been the best batsman so far in the series. He is likely to be accompanied by the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and the newly called-up Dawid Malan.

All-Rounders: Moeen Ali is expected to be in the team as an all-rounder once again and he could potentially receive support from Sam Curran and Ollie Robinson. Curran still holds the chance of being dropped because of a string of poor performances.

Bowlers: The veteran James Anderson would once again be the leader of England's depleted bowling attack, which has been hit by Mark Wood's shoulder injury. Saqib Mahmood is expected to make his debut and replace Wood in the bowling line-up.

England Likely Playing XI For 3rd Test Against India: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root (C), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (WK), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Saqib Mahmood, James Anderson

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2021 09:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).