3 changes India should make for the 3rd Test vs England
The five-match series between India and England is tantalizingly poised as the two teams head to Rajkot for the third Test, which will commence on Thursday, February 15.
The hosts initially announced their squad for the remaining three Tests before making a late addition in the form of Devdutt Padikkal, who replaced KL Rahul for the Rajkot encounter. Virat Kohli will not play a part in the series, with the likes of Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant continuing to be absent from the first-choice players.
Nevertheless, India have a strong contingent to choose from, with a couple of players who missed the second Test in Visakhapatnam returning to the fold. A few tweaks could be on the cards for Rohit Sharma and Co.
India's squad for the third Test vs England: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
Here are three changes India should make for the third Test against England.
#3 Sarfaraz Khan for Shreyas Iyer
This is a rather straightforward call. Shreyas Iyer has been dropped from the squad, opening up a vacancy in the middle order. Sarfaraz Khan, Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar are the contenders.
Sarfaraz is the clear frontrunner here, having been part of the squad before Padikkal. Moreover, the 26-year-old deserves a maiden Test cap more than anyone else in domestic cricket, having piled on a mountain of runs over several years now.
Sarfaraz has been in good form lately and will hope to have a productive introduction to the international level. He will want to make the wait worth it, presumably batting at No. 5 below Rajat Patidar.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja for Kuldeep Yadav
Ravinda Jadeja was ruled out of the second Test due to a hamstring strain suffered in the series opener, but reports suggest that he should be fit to take to the field in his hometown of Rajkot. The all-rounder engaged in practice sessions ahead of the match and seems to have recovered quickly from the injury setback.
Jadeja is one of India's most important Test players with both bat and ball. He will need to prop up a shorthanded middle order while also taking on a fair amount of bowling workload. The hosts missed him in the last game in both departments and need him to be at his best in Rajkot.
It would be extremely harsh to drop Kuldeep Yadav after the kind of game he had in Vizag. But with Axar Patel adding a good deal of batting value and India likely to need two fast bowlers on an expected flat track, there might be no other option.
#1 Mohammed Siraj for Mukesh Kumar
It could come down to a straight shootout between Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav to be part of India's XI for the third Test. And the reasons mentioned above might prompt the think tank to prefer the former.
Siraj went wicketless in the first Test in Hyderabad and was rested for the second. In his absence, Mukesh Kumar turned in an abysmal display, spraying the ball all over the place and managing just one wicket.
Playing Jasprit Bumrah as the lone seamer might turn out to be a risk, and having Siraj to back up him might be the best course of action. Picking Kuldeep ahead of Siraj might also work out for India, depending upon the conditions.