India vs Australia – 3rd Test Preview

The Border-Gavaskar series resumes on the 1st of March in Indore with India looking to continue their domination on home turf and seal the series victory at the Holkar Stadium. A win in the third Test can also secure the Men in Blue’s place in the final of the World Test Championship in June and take Rohit Sharma’s side back to the top of the ICC rankings.

Australia, meanwhile, have a much bigger task at hand in Indore. Their batters have struggled to find a method to deal with the trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel in spin-friendly conditions, while the bowling unit have been stung by India’s lower-order runs in both the opening Tests in Nagpur and Delhi.

Players to watch out for

KL Rahul

All eyes will be on KL Rahul in the third Test in Indore, with the Indian opener coming under increasing pressure after a poor run of form at the top of the order. The vice-captain has managed just 38 runs in three innings in this series, and his place in the side has come under question with the highly-rated Shubman Gill waiting in the wings. Rahul has received the backing of the Indian coach Rahul Dravid and the management, but the 30-year-old needs to repay the faith in Indore to justify his selection.

Cameron Green

The return of Cameron Green provides a big boost for Australia heading into the third Test. The all-rounder played a major part in Australia’s home dominance over the last 18 months and offers some much-needed balance to the side as a right-handed middle-order batter and seamer. Green’s selection makes Australia’s decision to go with just one frontline pacer more palatable and the 23-year-old’s reach and height give him a better chance of dealing with India’s spin trio.

Team News

Although Pat Cummins will miss out on the third Test in Indore due to personal reasons, Australia welcome the return of left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameroon Green to their side. Starc comes in as a straight swap for Cummins in the bowling attack, while Green could replace the injured David Warner in the XI, with Travis Head moving up to open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja.

India are likely to field the same XI that featured in Delhi, with the inclusion of Shubman Gill over KL Rahul at the top of the order the only selection dilemma for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.

Probable XI’s

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Pete Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann