It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Team India has been reduced to a second-string team due to their injury concerns. As many as six players namely – Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Hanuma Vihari, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav – have been ruled out in the middle of the series due to injuries. Apart from this, Virat Kohli flew back to India after the first Test while Ishant Sharma was never even the part of the series due to an ankle sprain. Hence, it will be a big challenge for stand-in Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane to field a potent playing XI in the fourth and deciding Test match against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane. India vs Australia Stat Highlights 3rd Test 2021.

Despite all the odds, Team India have performed magnificently against a full-strength Australian team with the series levelled at 1-1 after the first three Tests. However, Tim Paine’s men are clear favourites to emerge victorious in the final Test as the visitors will miss majority of their key players. Nevertheless, the modern-day Indian team is known for their highly-spirited character, and they’ll indeed not let Australia get a cakewalk in the decider. As both teams prepare for the ultimate battle, let’s look at India’s likely playing XI in Brisbane. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer & Other Netizens Hail Hanuma Vihari & Ravi Ashwin.

Openers: While India have missed many big names in the on-going series, they got a potent opening pair in form of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. With scores of 45, 35 (not out), 50 and 31, Gill impressed one and all in his debut Test series and is touted to become even better with time. At the same time, the Hitman also proved his mettle at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), scoring 26 and 52. Hence, there isn’t any need for tinkering with the opening combination.

Middle-Order: Now this is the department where things will be tricky for the visitors. While Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkay Rahane will continue to occupy the third and fourth place in the batting order, filling the number five and number six slot will be challenging. The choices are among Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw who warmed the benches in the third Test. Notably, both batsmen are openers by nature, but Agarwal is most likely to get a place in the middle order as he looked better than Shaw in the first two games.

The sixth position should be filled by Rishabh Pant who scored a blistering 97 in Sydney. As the southpaw is suffering from an elbow injury, he’ll not keep wickets. However, he has done enough to get a place in the team as a specialist batsman.

Wicket-keeper: As Pant will play as a proper batsman, Wriddhiman Saha automatically comes in the side as a wicket-keeper. While Saha’s prowess with the gloves is highly appreciated, his batting performances have been underwhelming. However, the 36-year-old is set to inducted back in the playing XI, and he must be determined to make a mark.

Bowlers: Although injuries have dented the visitors in many departments, bowling is undoubtedly the most affected area. With Bumrah ruled out of the last fixture, T Natarajan is all set to make his Test debut in Brisbane. He’ll be accompanied by Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep who got their maiden Test caps in the second and third Test respectively. Hence, the combine experience of India’s pace battery in the decider would be three Test matches.

Moreover, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also injured himself in the fourth Test and his participation in Brisbane is yet not confirmed. In case, he is ruled out of the fixture, Kuldeep Yadav will take his place in the playing XI, who is a veteran of six Test matches.

India’s Predicted Playing XI for 3rd Test Against Australia:

Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant,  Wriddhiman Saha (WK), R Ashwin/ Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, T Natarajan

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2021 06:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).