MOHALI, India (AP) England won the toss on Saturday and opted to bat in the third test against India in Mohali.
The hosts have made two changes to their line-up from the second test. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is out with a thigh strain, and 31 year old Parthiv Patel has been drafted in.
Karun Nair was named for his test debut ahead of opener Lokesh Rahul.
India continued to pick a five-bowler combination, with Patel slated to open and Nair expected to bat at no.6.
England made three changes to their line-up. Fit-again Chris Woakes replaced the injured Stuart Broad, while Jos Buttler was picked ahead of struggling Ben Duckett.
Off-spinner Gareth Batty came in for left-arm spinner Zafar Ansari, as the visitors retained a six-bowler combination. Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow have been moved up the order and will bat at nos. 4 and 5 respectively.
The pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association bears a dry and cracked look, and should take spin from early in the contest.
The first test in Rajkot had ended in a draw, and the visitors lost the second test in Visakhapatnam by 246 runs. India lead the five-match series 1-0.
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India: Murali Vijay, Parthiv Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.
England: Alastair Cook, (captain), Haseeb Hameed, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes.
