A series that was supposed to be Indian spinners vs England’s batters are now taking a different route. India Cricket Team are not the dominant side anymore at home and even as the IND vs ENG Test series is locked at 1-1, the entire focus is on a fragile Indian middle-order sans Virat Kohli. In the IND vs ENG 3rd Test in Rajkot, as Ben Stokes aims to celebrate his 100th Test with a win, Rohit Sharma will go with a completely new-look middle-order to keep England bowling at bay.
Two debutants in Rajkot?
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been the only batter to show some grit. The rest of the batters have struggled. Among them, Shreyas Iyer has been dropped while KL Rahul is out with an injury. Shubman Gill has only hit a century after months of struggle in red-ball cricket. Hence, India do not have any other option but to go with an overhauled middle order.
Two debutants Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel are likely to join one-Test-old Rajat Patidar. Keeper-batter KS Bharat who has failed to make a mark after 12 innings is likely to hand over the big gloves to Jurel.
Indian batters in IND vs ENG Test series
| Player | Inns | Runs | Avg | 50/100 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 4 | 321 | 80.25 | 1/1 |
| Shubman Gill | 4 | 161 | 40.25 | 0/1 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 133 | 33.25 | 0/0 |
| KL Rahul | 2 | 108 | 54 | 1/0 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 4 | 104 | 26 | 0/0 |
| Srikar Bharat | 4 | 92 | 23 | 0/0 |
| Rohit Sharma | 4 | 90 | 22.5 | 0/0 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 2 | 89 | 44.5 | 1/0 |
Bowling combination
While batting will be in focus, Ravindra Jadeja’s return is a blessing. He can not only hold the innings together but he understands Rajkot pitch like no other And his local insight will be key to taking down the England batting line-up.
However, Indian spinners need to pull up their socks. They have been expensive with all three spinners apart from Jadeja conceding runs at over 4 economy rate.
It’s still unclear whether Jasprit Bumrah will play the 3rd Test but if he does, India may also opt for a second seamer in Mohd Siraj or Mukesh Kumar. Siraj is fresh from a break and seems to be the ideal choice to partner with Bumrah. But if India go with two seamers, they have to leave out a spinner in IND vs ENG 3rd Test. Considering Axar Patel is ahead in batting, Kuldeep Yadav could be the one to warm the bench.
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Ben Stokes’s 100th Test
As for England, the idea is pretty simple, take the attack to India and wait for them to make mistakes. It has worked out so far and that’s what Ben Stokes will be sticking to on his 100th Test. He would aim to make it memorable with a win. And if the Rajkot pitch stays true to its nature and provides a flatter surface, it’s advantage England.
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
Predicted India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj
IND vs ENG LIVE Streaming: JioCinema
IND vs ENG LIVE Broadcast: Sports18
Timing: 9:30 AM
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Editors pick
