India vs Australia 3rd Test Predicted 11: Will Shubman Gill Replace ‘Struggling’ KL Rahul In Indore

Team India have ticked off most of the boxes in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia so far. Rohit Sharma’s side are leading the series 2-0 after the first two matches in Nagpur and Delhi and need to win just one more game to assure themselves of a berth in the World Test Championships Final later this year.

One of the only areas of concern is the form of opener KL Rahul. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper was stripped of his vice-captaincy after the second Test win in Delhi. In Indore, as Team India hit the nets again ahead of the third Test which begins on Wednesday (March 1), young opener Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were seen batting together for a long time in adjacent nets.

The selection of Rahul, who averages an ordinary 33.44 after 47 Tests, at the expense of Gill, who is a superstar in the making, has divided opinions in the cricketing fraternity. Both were seen batting in nets together for around 30 minutes under the supervision of head coach Rahul Dravid.

Rahul has got an extended run as the team management has immense faith in his abilities but with every failure, the pressure is mounting on the stylish opener. Gill, on the other hand, has had a coming-of-age season across formats and his supporters, which include former cricketers, believe there is no better time to draft him into the playing XI.

While Gill was more attacking in his approach, Rahul bided his time and focused on his defence. Rahul left and blocked the first 18 balls he faced before practicing the aerial hits down the ground off spinners. He then traded places with Gill to face R Ashwin and there also, he looked to play everything with a straight bat.

KL Rahul discussing Venkatesh Prasad Venky sir in upcoming 3rd Test match and Shubman Gill waiting his chance be like.#INDvAUS #TestCricket#KLRahul_ #KLRahul #BCCI#VenkateshPrashad #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/UXCWj0dv4w

— Ashutosh Srivastava __ (@sri_ashutosh08) February 22, 2023

Before batting alongside Rahul, Gill was the first member of the team to hit the nets as other underwent warm-up and fielding drills. After their stint in the main nets, both Gill and Rahul moved to the other side of the ground to face a few throwdowns.

Wicketkeeper KS Bharat refused to give any insights on the team management’s thinking on whether Gill can replace Rahul. “It’s the team management’s call, not mine,” Bharat said in Indore on Monday.

A lot was spoken about the batting ability of Bharat, who came in for injured Rishabh Pant. His glovework was never a problem for the team but his batting against a heavyweight like Australia was untested. However, the 29-year-old showcased his talent when India were three down in the chase of 115 in Delhi. He scored a valiant 23 not out and stood by Chesteshwar Pujara’s side to guide his team to victory.

“I enjoyed playing whatever I did in Delhi. It was about keeping it simple and backing your defence. Wickets are not unplayable, just have to back your defence,” Bharat said about his knock in Delhi.

India vs Australia 3rd Test Predicted 11

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul/Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

Australia: Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland/Lance Morris