Remember that the Indian men’s cricket team is currently in the middle of a Test series? A rather crucial one at that, from the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship's (WTC) perspective?
If not, you cannot be blamed. It has been nine days since Jasprit Bumrah ran through Tom Hartley’s defence with an absolute peach in Visakhapatnam, restoring parity in the series. The hiatus, in fact, was sizeable enough for the England team to leave India, enjoy a vacation-cum-training stunt in the United Arab Emirates, and return. Albeit, not without an obstacle, with one of their players – Rehan Ahmed, on this occasion – running into Visa troubles.
Developments in Indian cricket, on the contrary, were not scant. The already inexperienced batting unit received a further jolt when it was confirmed that Virat Kohli would not be featuring in this series at all, before KL Rahul was also ruled out with an injury. Shreyas Iyer’s name does not feature on the squad list either, albeit opinions are divided on the plausible reason for his exclusion.
In this scenario, India have arrived in Rajkot with more questions than answers, and more debut candidates (3) than players with 3000 or more Test runs (2).
With the series tied at 1-1, let’s delve into the five major talking points from this match:
1. Sarfaraz or Padikkal – Who Replaces KL Rahul?
Despite many expecting KL Rahul to return after missing the last Test due to a knee injury, the BCCI revealed that he has only regained 90% match fitness, which falls short of the required standard for a comeback.
Devdutt Padikkal has been roped in as Rahul’s replacement, and the 23-year-old from Karnataka is poised to make a compelling case for his inclusion in the team. Padikkal is coming into this match after scoring 151 and 36 in a Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu, on a Chennai track that presented the batters with multitudinous challenges.
Prior to that, he had scored one half-century and one century in the two unofficial Tests against England Lions. Going further back, Padikkal recorded two more centuries in the Ranji Trophy last month – a stellar 193 against Punjab and a commanding 103 against Goa.
Purely based on recent numbers, the prospect of giving Padikkal his debut cap is considerably appealing, albeit Sarfaraz Khan had been included in the squad before the left-handed batter. The 26-year-old Mumbaikar scored 161 runs in his last red-ball match, against England Lions. Moreover, he struck a half-century in all of his last three appearances for India A, which could potentially give him the edge over Padikkal in the selection dilemma.
India vs England, 3rd Test: Sarfaraz Khan could be handed his debut.
(Photo: PTI)
2. Dhruv Jurel’s Debut on the Cards?
Irrespective of who gets the nod between Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan, it's certain that a debutant will be featuring in the Indian team. He, however, might not be the only debutant, with reports rife about the team management considering Dhruv Jurel at KS Bharat’s expense.
Unlike Sarfaraz and Padikkal, Jurel – a 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batter hailing from the land of Taj Mahal – does not boast of an astonishing body of work in first-class cricket, having made his debut for Uttar Pradesh only a couple of years ago.
His recent form in red-ball cricket, hence, played a pivotal role in his selection. Jurel, like Sarfaraz, has scored a half-century in all of his last three red-ball matches. He struck 50 in the match against England Lions at Ahmedabad, which came on the back of a 63 against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy and a 69 against South Africa A in Benoni.
Should he be dropped, KS Bharat might consider himself unfortunate, for he did show enough grit to score 41 and 28 in the first Test. Yet, 17 and 6 on his home ground in the second Test do very little to help his case.
3. Axar Patel vs Kuldeep Yadav – Who Gets the Nod?
Amid absentees aplenty, India are likely to be bolstered by the addition of Ravindra Jadeja, who has recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained in Hyderabad. This leads the team management to a major selection dilemma – who makes way for the world number one all-rounder in men’s Tests?
In Jadeja’s absence, Kuldeep Yadav featured in the Visakhapatnam Test and delivered a commendable performance, picking up four wickets – the most notable of the quartet being the wicket of Zak Crawley in the fourth innings, when the Englishman was batting on 73, with England being only 205 runs away from a 2-0 lead.
Moreover, the left-arm wrist spinner was among India’s most effective bowlers in the last Test match in Rajkot. Against West Indies in 2018, Kuldeep took six wickets, including a second-innings five-wicket haul.
Axar, hence, might be the first in line to facilitate the accommodation of Ravindra Jadeja. In the first two Tests, the all-rounder picked up only five wickets. He did compensate for it with his batting prowess, scoring 61 runs in Hyderabad and 72 in Visakhapatnam, but with Jadeja bringing his skills with the willow, India might prioritize wicket-taking threat.
4. The Alternate Route – Can India Play Only One Pacer?
In a world that’s perfectly fair – which the world of cricket, unfortunately, is not – the trio of Jadeja, Kuldeep, and Axar would all find a place in the Indian playing XI. The management will have such a provision, but for that, a bold decision has to be taken.
India vs England, 3rd Test: Both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja could play, if India opt for one pacer.
(Photo: BCCI)
India have adhered to a two-pacer strategy in the ongoing series, though the dividends from this approach are debatable. In Hyderabad, Siraj bowled only 11 overs, where he conceded 50 runs without taking any wickets. In Visakhapatnam, Mukesh Kumar bowled 12 overs and conceded 70 runs, with his only wicket being that of tail-ender Shoaib Bashir.
Opting to field only one pacer, in vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, can hence be a justifiable decision. Should India opt to fortify their volatile batting unit instead, they could also field all-rounder Washington Sundar, who has scored three half-centuries in his four Test appearances, and also got a half-century in his last India A match.
5. What Can Be Expected From the Rajkot Pitch?
Not the turner of Chennai and Ahmedabad 2021, in all likelihood, which sparked a massive debate. The first-ever Test match in Rajkot involved these two teams, back in October, where a flat surface resulted in a draw, with four Englishmen and two Indians scoring centuries.
Albeit India did secure a landslide win in the last Rajkot Test against West Indies, the pitch was remotely not as daunting as the Caribbean batters made it seem to be. In that same match, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja all scored centuries for India.
The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium last hosted a red-ball match just last month, where Saurashtra and Jharkhand played out a draw. A total of 1025 runs were scored at the loss of 17 wickets, with the runs-to-wickets ratio being 60.29.
Postscript: Ravichandran Ashwin is only one wicket away from completing 500 Test wickets.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)