The upcoming India vs England third Test in Rajkot, scheduled from February 15-19, holds significant importance as the series stands leveled at 1-1, with England winning the first Test and India emerging victorious in the second. This Test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 campaign.
Rohit Sharma will continue to lead India, while Ben Stokes shoulders the captaincy for England. Both teams face selection challenges, particularly with key batters struggling for form. The 10-day break leading to the third Test has given both sides valuable time for reflection and preparation.
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In the 2018 Test at this venue, India dominated with three first-innings centurions, securing victory by an innings and 272 runs against West Indies. Another Test at the same venue in 2016 witnessed a high-scoring draw between India and England.
India
Injuries pose concerns for both teams. India will be without KL Rahul, who hasn’t fully recovered from his right quadriceps injury. Devdutt Padikkal has been named as Rahul’s replacement. On the positive side, Ravindra Jadeja has recovered from his hamstring injury, but Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested for the upcoming Test.
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The third Test may witness the debut of Dhruv Jurel, with KS Bharat’s underwhelming performances prompting changes. Sarfaraz Khan is also in contention for his maiden Test cap. The inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja raises questions about Kuldeep Yadav’s place in the team. Reports suggest the preparation of a slow-turning pitch for the Test, posing additional challenges for Indian batters against spin.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj.
England
As anticipated, England revealed their playing XI ahead of the match, opting for a two-pace, three-spin combination by reintroducing Wood in place of Bashir.
Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Ben Foakes, Zak Crawley, Rohit Sharma (c), Ollie Pope, Yashasvi Jaiswal (vc), Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rehan Ahmed, Shoaib Bashir
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Jonny Bairstow, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ollie Pope, Ravi Ashwin, Joe Root, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Tom Hartley (vc)
