Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey
India will return to the Gabba nearly four years on from their magnificent triumph in 2021 seeking a turnaround in fortunes. Rohit Sharma’s team is coming off a disappointing 10-wicket loss in Adelaide after dominating in Perth, batting a total of just 81 overs across two innings.
India are expected to make changes for the crucial third Test of the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), particularly with regards to the bowling attack despite the failure of the batsmen to notch up anything of note in Adelaide.
India possible playing 11 for Gabba Test
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2. Rohit Sharma, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. Rishabh Pant (wk), 6. KL Rahul, 7. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8. Washington Sundar, 9. Jasprit Bumrah, 10. Mohammed Siraj, 11. Prasidh Krishna
India legend Sunil Gavaskar has called for Rohit Sharma to move back to the top of the order. It is a move the team management could look at implementing. The captain slotted in at six in Adelaide after KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal batted superbly together in Perth, but the move did not pay off.
“Yes, I think he should come on his regular number. We should also keep in mind that why did Rahul open? Because Rohit Sharma was not available for the first Test. Now he was kept as an opener for the second Test because of his partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, I can understand that,” Gavaskar said, as quoted by Cricket Addictor.
“But he did not make runs in this Test match. So I think Rahul should go on his regular number 5 or 6. And Rohit Sharma should go on his regular number at top. If Rohit Sharma makes 30 runs in the third Test, he can convert it into a big century.”
India will likely drop Harshit Rana who had a difficult match in Adelaide, finishing with figures of 0/86 off 16 overs. Travis Head in particular went hard after him, scoring 41 runs off 29 balls during his superb run-a-ball 140.
This opens the door for Prasidh Krishna (or potentially Akash Deep who can bowl consistently and nip the ball both ways). Krishna took ten wickets for India A in two four-day games against Australia A last month, including 4/50 in the first innings at the MCG.
Also, India will be tempted to bring Washington Sundar back into the XI. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled nicely in Adelaide, but the Gabba bounce prompt the selectors to favour Sundar’s overspin. Plus, Sundar was superb in the 2021 Brisbane Test where he took figures of 3/89 and made crucial scores of 62 and 22.
The third Test begins on Saturday December 14.
