England are hoping to seal a Test series victory against India at Trent Bridge when the third Test kicks off on Saturday.
The hosts are 2-0 up going into the Nottingham match, and with Ben Stokes likely to be back in the fold, are favourites to gain an unassailable advantage in the five-match series.
World No1-ranked India, meanwhile, have had to regroup following their pummelling at Lord’s and will be hoping to fight their way back into the contest.
Here, we look at some fascinating statistics before the match gets underway.
- Amazingly, and perhaps unusually, this is the first England Test since 1955 which has started on a Saturday – breaking the usual Thursday or Friday start time tradition.
- He might be 36 but James Anderson is bowling as good as ever and his record at Trent Bridge won’t make for pleasant reading for India batsmen or fans of the Men in Blue. The King of Swing has played nine Tests at the venue and claimed 60 wickets at an average of just 18.95, inclusive of seven five-wicket hauls – his best return at any of the 42 international venues he has played at.
- Since 2000, 16 Test matches have been contested at Trent Bridge and England have won nine of them – including five consecutive triumphs in 2008 (New Zealand), 2010 (Pakistan), 2011 (India), 2012 (West Indies) and their 2013 Ashes success.
- India have lost twice in the five Test matches at Trent Bridge. England and India first met in a Test in 1959, with the hosts winning by an innings and 59 runs.
Zaheer Khan was the hero for India last time out at Trent Bridge.
- India secured their greatest triumph in England in 2007. The tourists overcame England by seven wickets in the Trent Bridge Test and went on to win the series 1-0. Zaheer Khan was the star of the show then, claiming nine wickets in Nottingham.
- Four years ago, during the last England v India Trent Bridge Test, Anderson (81) and Joe Root (104) put on a record tenth-wicket partnership of 198 in the drawn opening match.
- Ishant Sharma needs five more wickets to reach 250 in Test cricket and if he does accomplish that feat, he will become the seventh Indian to do so.
- Trent Bridge has been a haven for quick bowlers over the years, particularly for Anderson and Stuart Broad – who enjoyed arguably the best spell of his career at the venue three years ago when he took 8-15 in the 2015 Ashes Test.
