India will be squaring off against England in the third Test from Thursday in Rajkot. The five-match series is currently levelled 1-1 after the hosts bounced back in style and registered a victory 106 runs in the second Test. An injury-hit India could well go with two debutants in domestic run-machine Sarfaraz Khan and hard-hitting keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel on a track that will be quite similar to the first two Test matches. With Shreyas Iyer being dropped and KL Rahul yet to recover, doors have opened for Sarfaraz, who has been one of the most prolific performers in Ranji Trophy.
In case of Jurel, it is his superior batting quality that could get him the nod ahead of Kona Bharat, who has failed to score a single half-century in seven successive Tests.
Here’s what we think will be India’s Playing XI against England in the third Test:
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal
The opening pair of Team India is very much set as the skipper Rohit provides a strong base to Jaiswal. Though Rohit failed to score even a single half-century in the first two matches, he has still got a lot of potential and is a big threat to the opposition.
On the other hand, Jaiswal, who will turn seven matches in Test cricket on Thursday, is currently in a red-hot form. The 22-year-old batter smashed a double ton in the previous match and played a crucial role in India’s victory.
Middle-Order: Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel
After star batter Virat Kohli withdrew himself from the series, Shubman Gill became the obvious choice for the No 3 spot. The 24-year-old batter, who was facing a lot criticism regarding his poor form, scored his Test ton in the previous match.
Rajat Patidar made his Test debut in the second match but scored only 32 runs. However, the absence of Shreyas Iyer has cemented his position in the team for the third match.
KL Rahul got ruled out of the third Test after he did not get the clearance from the medical. If reports are to be believed then Ranji Trophy star batter Sarfaraz will be making debut. Apart from him, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel is likely to replace as under-fire KS Bharat and don the big gloves.
All-Rounders: Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin
Axar Patel is an essential part of India’s line-up as he always strengthens both batting and bowling attack. He will now look to deliver a better performance in the third match as he only scalped two wickets in second Test.
Jadeja missed out on the second Test due to injury but will return to action on Thursday. In the first match, he took five wickets and also scored 87 runs in the first innings.
Third Test will be a special one for Ashwin as he is on the cusp on completing his 400 wickets in the longest format. In the first two matches, he has scalped nine wickets and is just one wicket away from achieving the big feat.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj
The hero of the second match, pacer Jasprit Bumrah will definitely have a place in the Playing XI. He took a whopping total of nine wickets in the second match and helped India register a comfortable win. His performance also propelled him to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings for a bowler.
Siraj missed out on the second match, in order to manage his workload. He played the first game but went wicketless. However, he is expected to give a better performance in the third Test.
India’s Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
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