India takes on England in the third Test in Rajkot on February 15. India won the second Test by 106 runs to level the five-match series. Heading into the third Test, they have a few selection conundrums.
Virat Kohli will be missing from the remaining Test matches. He has informed about the same to the BCCI. Ravindra Jadeja is back in the India team for the third test however, his selection will be based on his fitness. He missed the second Test due to a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul after being named in the Indian squad for the final three Tests will now miss the third Test. The NCA medical team has not given him fitness clearance to play in Rajkot as they feel he is not yet fully fit from his quadriceps injury. Devdutt Padikkal has been named as his replacement.
The Indian team for the third Test can see multiple changes. Alongside Kohli, Shreyas Iyer is also ruled out from the last three Tests due to a shoulder injury.
The BCCI is also unwilling to continue with KS Bharat as the specialist keeper and is keen to give Dhruv Jurel a chance in the next game. With Iyer out, Sarfaraz Khan is also closing in on getting his maiden Test cap.
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From the bowling front, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested in the third Test as per reports. Mohd Siraj will then replace him. in the XI.
If Jadeja returns fully fit only one between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav will then get the nod. Mukesh Kumar also did not have the best of games in Vizag. Akash Deep, the Bengal pacer was included in the XI. With Mukesh not bowling well, he might also get the nod.
There are a lot of permutations and combinations for Team India to get right when they select the playing XI for the third Test. In this article, we predict India’s likely playing XI in Rajkot.
India Playing 11 vs England, 3rd Test, 2024
Rohit Sharma (C)
Rohit will open the batting for India. He has been below par as an opener for India in the first two Test matches with scores of 24, 39, 14, and 13 in his last four innings. The next Test will be the 57th of his career, he is inching closer to 4000 Test runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal will open the batting with Rohit. He is fresh off his maiden double ton in the second Test in Vizag. He is the leading run-scorer with 321 runs from the first two matches.
Shubman Gill
Gill will bat at three. He was almost on the brink of getting dropped like Shreyas Iyer but scored runs in the second innings of the second Test. His third ton saved him his place in the side. In the absence of Kohli and Rahul now, Gill becomes crucial at three.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz might get his debut cap with Kohli, Rahul, and Iyer missing in the squad. He got his maiden Test call-up ahead of the second Test. However, Rajat Patidar got the nod ahead of him. The 26-year-old averages 69.85 across 45 first-class games scoring nearly 4000 runs with 14 centuries and 11 fifties.
Rajat Patidar
Patidar will bat at five. He made his Test debut in Vizag scoring 32 and 9 in the two innings. With India missing its key batters, the freshers should make the most of this opportunity. The middle-order batter has scored over 40000 runs in FC cricket.
Dhruv Jurel / KS Bharat (WK)
There are reports that Dhruv Jurel is likely to make his Test debut with the BCCI not happy with Bharat’s recent performances with the bat. The UP cricketer averages 46.47 across 15 FC games scoring 790 runs in the process.
Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja is included in the Indian squad for the final three Test matches. As per reports his selection will be based on his fitness. The Indian all-rounder was ruled out of the second Test with a hamstring injury.
Axar Patel / Kuldeep Yadav
If Jadeja is included in the XI, there will be a toss-up between Axar and Kuldeep as the third spinner in the XI. Both bring different kinds of balance to the XI and thus will present a selection conundrum for the coach and the captain.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin will be the main spinner in the XI. The next Test will be the 98th of his career. So far this year he has picked 9 wickets in just two Test matches. The spinner is approaching a few milestones in Rajkot. He is one shy of 500 Test wickets and three shy of 100 Test wickets against England.
Mohammed Siraj
Mohd Siraj will lead the bowling attack with Jaspreit Bumrah most likely to be rested in the third Test. Siraj was rested from the second Test as the BCCI was looking to rotate the bowlers. He has picked up seven wickets from two Test matches this year so far.
Mukesh Kumar / Akash Deep
One among Muhesk or Akash Deep will play as the second specialist seamer in the XI. Mukesh did not have too much success in the second Test which might influence the selectors to give Akash his maiden Test cap.
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