4 days ago
Gautam Gambhir said in the press conference on Monday that if Rohit Sharma cannot play the first Test, then KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran will replace him. It is clear from this statement of the Indian coach that it is difficult for captain Rohit to play the Perth Test. The match will start from 22nd November.
Gambhir also told that if Rohit does not play, Jasprit Bumrah will take the captaincy. However, due to the absence of Rohit, the playing-11 of Team India also deteriorates. You will know the answers to 5 questions related to this in the story.
- Who will open in place of Rohit?
- Jurel or Sarfaraz, who is the middle order batsman?
- Jadeja or Sundar, who is the spin all-rounder?
- Nitish or Harshit, who is the pace bowling all-rounder?
- Prasidh or Akash Deep, who is the third pacer?
1. 3 contenders for the opening spot, Rahul is the strongest If Rohit does not play, then some other player will have to start the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal. There are 3 contenders for this position, which include KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Shubhman Gill.
- A male name: Is the strongest contender for the opening spot. He was dropped in the home series against New Zealand, but is the only Indian opener to score a century in Australia, England and South Africa. Has the ability to play pace and swing. The average abroad is weak, but based on experience, Rahul is the best replacement for Rohit.
- Ishwaran: Easwaran was kept as a backup opener in the 18-member squad. He also opened in both the first class matches against Australia-A, but he could not score a single fifty. However, on the basis of domestic records, he also remains in the race.
- Shubman: Gill started his Test career as an opener, he was also a part of Team India that defeated Australia in the Test series in 2021. After Yashasvi’s entry, he took the number-3 position and scored a lot of runs. If Rahul-Eshwaran cannot play then Shubman can also open. However, if he opens, the team will have to change the batting order. In such a situation, he will be seen batting at number 3 only.
2. Jurel or Sarfaraz, who will play in the middle order? After Shubman’s arrival at number-3, Virat Kohli is confirmed to play at number-4 and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant at number-5. There is a race between Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan for the number 6 position.
- Sarfaraz: Sarfaraz played all the matches in the Test series against New Zealand. He also scored a century, but flopped in the last 2 tests. Based on his form, it is difficult for him to get a chance, but if the team wants to give him more chances, he can bat at number 6.
- Jurel: Dhruv could not play a single match against New Zealand and Bangladesh. He scored runs in the Duleep Trophy, then scored fifties in both the innings of the first class match against Australia-A. In both the innings, the team had lost the first 4 wickets before 40 runs. Based on this form, he may get a chance before Sarfaraz.
3. Who will be the spin all-rounder? India last played the Test in Perth in 2018, when the team did not field a single spinner. Whereas Australia’s only spinner Nathan Lyon won the Player of the Match award by taking 8 wickets. However, then Hanuma Vihari played the role of off-spinner. This time there is not a single part-time spinner among India’s top-6 batsmen. Therefore, the team will have to field a spinner, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin are contenders for this position.
- Jadeja: Whenever Team India faces the question of playing a spin all-rounder abroad, the team goes with Jadeja. Batting and fielding also make him better than the other two all-rounders. There are also 5 right handed batsmen in Australia’s top-8, so Jaddu can be a part of the playing-11.
- Beautiful: Sundar took 16 wickets in the last 2 Tests against New Zealand, he proved to be dangerous against both types of batsmen. He took 4 wickets in the 2021 Gabba Test in Australia. He then also scored an important 84 runs in 2 innings. If the team wants to take risk, it can make Sundar a part of the playing-11.
- Ashwin: The third spin all-rounder of the squad is Ravi Ashwin. However, looking at his batting, it is difficult for him to be a part of the playing-11 before Jadeja and Sundar. He could not do anything special with bowling in the home series against New Zealand. He has taken 39 wickets in 10 Tests in Australia, yet it is difficult for him to get a chance.
4. Who will be the pace all-rounder? Shardul Thakur was a part of Team India in 2021, he took India to a strong position by scoring a fifty in Gabba. This time he did not get a place in the squad, Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana have been included in place of Shardul. Therefore, one of these two players will be included to bat at number-8 position.
- Nitish: Reddy got a chance to play in the 2 first class match series against Australia A. He could take only one wicket in 4 innings, while scoring 71 runs with the bat. He has not made his Test debut yet, but to increase the batting depth, the team can include Reddy in the playing-11.
- Joyful: 22-year-old all-rounder Rana has not made his debut for India in any format yet. He got a place in the squad after performing well for IPL and India-A. He has taken 43 wickets in the 10 first class matches played so far. While scored one century and 2 fifties with the bat. He can debut on the tour, but it is difficult to play his first Test.
5. Who will be the third pacer, Prasidh or Akash Deep? Jasprit Bumrah will be the lead pacer of the team. Mohammad Siraj can start the innings with him, but the question is about the third pacer. Famous Krishna and Akash Deep are contenders for this position.
- Famous: Playing for India-A, Prasidh troubled Australia-A batsmen with his pace in both the matches. He took 10 wickets in 4 innings. Not only this, he also scored 43 runs with the bat. He made his Test debut last year against South Africa, but he got only 2 wickets then. He can become India’s trump card on the bouncy pitches of Australia.
- Sky: In the home series against New Zealand, Akash Deep troubled the Kiwi openers by swinging the ball both ways. He knows how to take wickets in domestic conditions, hence his pace can be effective in friendly conditions abroad also. However, he has not been able to play a single match abroad so far. Therefore it is difficult for him to play in the first match.
India’s possible playing-11 for Perth Test
Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj.
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