The Indian team management is contemplating changing its winning combination, which fetched them a dramatic victory at Lord’s in the final session, for the third Test at Headingley in Leeds that begins on Wednesday.

Ravindra Jadeja, the lone spinner in the India XI, may have failed to get a wicket in the first two Tests but sources told The Telegraph that Ravichandran Ashwin is being considered in place of Ishant Sharma if the weather remains bright and sunny in the coming days.

The wicket is expected to assist the seamers but that doesn’t rule out the role of spinners in the later stages. The presence of Ashwin, considered the world’s best, will add variety to the attack and pose a considerable threat to the inexperienced England batting.

Ashwin had recently revealed on his YouTube show that steady showers on match day put paid to his hopes of making the XI at Lord’s.

“We will have to see how the wicket looks on the day of the Test. The forecast doesn’t predict rain. If it stays this way, Ashwin will play.

He will have a huge psychological impact on the batsmen,” said a source.

“Teams generally prefer to stick to winning combinations. But Ashwin’s experience will come in handy in this Test. The wickets also tend to help the spinners during this time of the year. Moreover, he also has proved to be handy with the bat,” the source maintained.

“The momentum is with India. England are struggling with injuries and it’s a proven fact that except for Joe Root, their batting is hollow. The team should use it to their advantage.”

India skipper Virat Kohli at nets. The third Test against England begins at Headingley in Leeds on Wednesday. Twitter

There’s unlikely to be any other change even though Shardul Thakur has recovered from his hamstring injury. The batting unit will remain the same with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj forming the three-pronged pace attack.

India have a good chance of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series if they win at Leeds.

India won on the last two occasions they played a Test at the venue — by 279 runs in 1986 and by an innings and 46 runs in 2002.

India’s victory in 2002 came under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy and was built on the back of centuries in their first innings from the famous trio — Rahul Dravid (148), Sachin Tendulkar (193) and Sourav (128). The spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh captured 11 of the 20 England wickets.

India at Leeds

⚫ 1952: England won by 7 wkts

⚫ 1959: England won by innings & 173 runs

⚫ 1967: England won by 6 wkts

⚫ 1979: Drawn

⚫ 1986: India won by 279 runs

⚫ 2002: India won by innings & 46 runs