Team India achieved what very few would have expected in the 3rd Test at SCG. Cricketing experts like Michael Vaughan and Michael Clarke were adamant that this Indian team, in the absence of Virat Kohli and plenty of injured players filling the dressing room, would drop dead in the series after the disastrous first test.
However, team India defied all odds and derailed the Aussie Express in the 2nd Test at Melbourne. But what would go down as one of the best performances by the Indian team in recent times was the monumental effort in the 3rd Test. Hanuma Vihari, Chesteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin teased the Aussie bowlers and in the end, defied Australia from what should have been an easy win.
Now, the focus shifts to the 4th and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Needless to say, the players are incredibly tired as this has been a very long tour and the quarantine rules haven’t made it any easier.
Moreover, with so many players injured, it is going to be extremely difficult for the Indian team to actually select 11 completely fit players for the final test. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja will miss the final test, Ravichandran Ashwin might recover in time but there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the availability of Hanuma Vihari and Mayank Agarwal.
It’s likely that Shardul Thakur will make the eleven, given that he is more than capable with the bat, he might be a handy addition to the Indian middle order. Looking at how things have panned out, it is likely that Prithvi Shaw might make a come-back in the Indian team.
Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill have been excellent at the top. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant are likely to feature in the middle order. Wriddhiman Saha should feature in the side as the proper Keeper with Pant playing as a batsman. Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and Mohd. Siraj should form the pace attack and Kuldeep Yadav might feature as the lone spinner in the side if Ashwin fails to recover in time.
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