England Looking to First Win in the Summer

Southampton: England won't just be looking to end a sequence of 10 Tests without a win when they face India in the third Test at Southampton on Sunday, they will be aiming to restore their pride.

Monday's 95-run defeat in the second Test at Lord's, a result that put the tourists 1-0 up in the five-match series, came after England had won the toss on a pitch that might have been made to captain Alastair Cook's specific instructions and against an India side who had not won away from home in 16 previous Tests.

Whether it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling like a classic seamer or opener Murali Vijay's invaluable second-innings 95, India excelled in disciplines that were once common to every county, let alone England, team.

And then compounding the 'role reversal' was the way the match ended, when several England batsmen succumbed to a bouncer-trap baited by Ishant Sharma who promptly took seven for 74 as India won only their sixth Test in England.

Meanwhile new-ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad have both looked physically and mentally tired, with Anderson not helped by a row with India's Ravindra Jadeja during the drawn first Test in Nottingham.

Friday saw Jadeja fined but not banned for his part in the alleged incident by the International Cricket Council, while Anderson could yet miss the final two Tests of this series if a separate August 1 hearing finds against him.

For England all-rounders Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes will be eyeing Stokes' spot. Experienced wicketkeeper Matt Prior had withdrawn, citing quad, Achilles and right hand injuries, to be replaced by 23-year-old Jos Buttler, uncapped at Test level but already England's limited overs gloveman.

Cook and Ian Bell, the two senior batsmen in an otherwise inexperienced top-order are both in the middle of a run-drought.

Left-handed opener Cook has gone 27 innings without adding to his England record of 25 Test hundreds, while it is 19 innings since Bell last reached three figures at this level.

Cook, for all that several ex-England skippers have told him to resign the captaincy, is determined to carry on.

For India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the unexpected but welcome problem is how to guard against complacency.

Teams from

England: Alastair Cook (Capt.), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes

India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (Capt. & wk), Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh

Match facts
July 27-31, 2014
Start time 1100 local (1000 GMT, 15:30 IST)