The 2015 Ashes has lived up to the hype so far as both England and Australia have put up one terrific performance in the first and second Test respectively. England dominated the first Test at Sophia Gardens, while Australia dominated the second Test at Lord's.
So, with the third Test match scheduled at Edgbaston in Birmingham from Wednesday, there are no favourites and one wonders if the third Test will also be concluded in the four days of the match, like the previous two.
England, after suffering an embarrassing loss by 405 runs at Lord's, will be eager to come up and deliver the goods, while Australia will want to continue from where they left in the second Test. Such a commanding victory over England will help the Australians start day one in confident mood.
Australian captain, Michael Clarke wants to keep the momentum going after their win at Lord's, but is fully aware of the quality of the England side.
"This team from what I continually see, the way the guys trained and prepared in Derby to their attitude here yesterday when it was raining, and guys still found a way to get done what they needed to, there's no doubt that hunger's in the system," ESPNCricinfo quoted Clarke as saying.
"It's important for us to run with this momentum while we have it, take confidence from Lord's but also remember how disciplined England were in Cardiff and we know how good an opposition they are."
The England team are wary of the confidence the Aussies have gained, so the home team need to start Day 1 on the right foot. Their top order batsmen needs to shoulder more responsibility and not expose their middle order to the new ball, with bowlers such as Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc keen on making early breakthroughs.
The middle order comprising of Joe Root and Ben Stokes can take full toll, if the top order provides them a solid start, which they have failed in both the Test matches.
England have dropped Gary Ballance and brought in Jonny Baristow for this Ashes Test, as the former failed to impress in the first two matches. So, one could either see Ian Bell or Joe Root take upon the key role at No.3.
The Australians got their act right in the second Test with all their bowlers and batsmen showing their class and making England fall on their knees. Steve Smith and Chris Rogers scored big runs to provide a platform for the bowlers and the Aussie bowlers did not disappoint with Johnson taking six crucial wickets in the Lord's Test.
If Australia play a similar level of cricket, England need to raise their bar and compete against the confident bunch visitors, who will be eyeing a 2-1 series lead.
Where to Watch Live
With the Ashes 2015 tied at 1-1, the third Test match between England and Australia is going to be a crucial one, with the match scheduled for a 11am local start (3:30pm IST, 6am ET, 7:30pm AEST) with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 1/HD with live streaming on starsports.com.
UK viewers can watch the third Test live on Sky Sports 2 with live streaming on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go, while Australian viewers can catch the action live on Nine Network and live streaming is available on CA website.
The third Test match of the Ashes can be watched by the viewers in the US on One World Sports with live streaming on Watch ESPN.
