Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to showcase their skills when India faces Australia in the third match of the Border-Gavaskar series at the Gabba, starting Saturday. The series score is tied at 1-1, making this game crucial for both teams as they strive for success in the World Test Championship.
India’s hopes rest on exploiting Australia’s weak batting, especially if Travis Head isn’t at his best. Meanwhile, Steve Smith is struggling with his form, just like Kohli. India’s star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, has been exceptional, but he needs more support from his teammates, along with solid runs from Rohit and Kohli.
Recently, there’s been much talk about Rohit and Kohli’s dropping performance levels, but they both want to step up, especially after India’s historic win in Brisbane back in 2021. This season, their first innings averages are disappointing—Rohit at 6.88 and Kohli at just 10. Kohli did score a century in Perth, easing some pressure for himself, but Rohit needs to lead by example.
Rohit has been amazing in white-ball cricket, but he needs to choose the right batting position at the Gabba. Should he open or bat lower down the order? That’s a key question for the captain to answer. Additionally, bringing Ravindra Jadeja into the team could strengthen India’s batting, as he has done well in tough conditions in the past.
On Australia’s side, their batting looks shaky too. Travis Head has often done well against India, but Smith’s form is worrying. Marnus Labuschagne has not been at his best either. The Australians know that if they can handle Bumrah’s first spell well, they put pressure on the other Indian bowlers.
Teams:
– Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
– India: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
– Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal.
Match begins at 5:50 am IST.
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