Infectious Bazball ready to pounce on inexperienced India in Rajkot

The third episode of the riveting Test series between India and England will begin on Thursday, February 15, at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The visitors shocked India with a 28-run win in Hyderabad, only for Rohit Sharma’s men to floor them in Visakhapatnam. With the five-match series currently levelled at 1-1, the stage is set for an electrifying battle after a ten-day hiatus.

Before the start of the series, all the talk was about how Bazball would fare against spinners in Indian conditions. However, on the back of Ben Stokes’ counter-attacking display in the first innings and Ollie Pope’s scintillating 196, England managed to win the first round. They were surging with confidence, but India bounced back with a resounding 106-run win in the second Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s double ton, Shubman Gill’s resilient century and Jasprit Bumrah’s magical figures of 9/91 shunned all the Bazball hype.

Going into the third Test, India have a lot to worry about, mainly in the batting department. They will need fresh faces to get the job done in Rajkot, with injuries and withdrawals hitting them hard. India were without the services of Virat Kohli for the first two matches and it was confirmed that he will miss the entire series due to personal reasons. While all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has recovered in time, KL Rahul will continue to rest, leaving the Indian middle order in a quandary.

Though Shreyas Iyer has not been able to contribute much in the ongoing series, his absence will make their batting unit young and inexperienced. With all these concerns rising in the Indian camp, skipper Rohit Sharma will be expected to rise to the occasion, but his form has added fuel to the already simmering concerns. The veteran opener is yet to score a half-century in this series and was a complete failure in the Vizag Test.

Selectors show confidence in youngsters as Pujara continues to knock on the door

We might see a new face behind the stumps for India as Dhruv Jurel is likely to make his Test debut, thanks to KS Bharat’s string of low scores. There are also reports that domestic sensation Sarfaraz Khan may also be handed his maiden Test cap in the absence of Rahul and Iyer. The top three are fixed, while Rajat Patidar is likely to bat at No. 4 followed by Sarfaraz, Jadeja and Jurel. If this is going to be India’s batting order for the third Test, let us see their experience to get a clear picture.

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Player	Tests
Rohit Sharma	56
Yashasvi Jaiswal	6
Shubman Gill	22
Rajat Patidar	1
Sarfaraz Khan	–
Dhruv Jurel	–

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Now the question may arise as to why Cheteshwar Pujara was ignored. Notably, the upcoming match is going to be played on his home turf and the Test specialist is making waves in the domestic circuit. Fortunately for India, Jaiswal is in red-hot form and Shubman Gill also managed to pop the stress balloon with a fine century.

Coming to India’s bowling department, it must be questioned whether the Indian spinners have been able to thrive in the absence of rank turners. It would not be unfair if one pointed out that Bumrah’s excellence saved them from embarrassment to some extent. Mohammed Siraj is back in the squad and might make it into the XI as the surface is likely to assist the pacers more.

England announce playing XI for 3rd Test

England, meanwhile, look in good shape although they are coming on the back of a defeat. Zak Crawley and Pope were impressive in the first two matches and Stokes who is set to play his 100th Test match, is effectively doing his job. However, the lack of runs from former skipper Joe Root’s bat is a worry. One does not have answers if he’s on a lean patch or just unable to byheart the ‘Bazball lessons’.

The visitors have already announced the playing XI for the Rajkot rivalry. They have decided to go with two seamers as Mark Wood replaced Shoaib Bashir to accompany James Anderson. Wrist spinner Rehan Ahmed cleared his minor visa issues and will be part of the XI. The absence of frontline spinner Jack Leach is a blow, but Tom Hartley has looked confident in both matches.

IND vs ENG Playing XI for 3rd Test

India (Probable) Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Mohammed Siraj

England 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

Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium Pitch Report

The surface at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium is expected to help the batters. Some pictures of the Rajkot pitch surfaced on social media on Wednesday, showing the absence of grass on the top and is likely to be a flat wicket. Expecting a pace-friendly surface, England have added two seamers for the first time in the series, with India likely to bring in Siraj alongside Bumrah. Notably, the last time the two teams met at the same venue in the 2016-17 series, the match ended in a draw with both teams piling up huge runs.

IND vs ENG Tests Head-to-Head Records:

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Matches Played	India won	England won	NR	First Meeting	Last Meeting
133	32	51	50	June 25, 1932	February 5, 2024