Official: Team India’s playing XI for 3rd Test against Australia announced

The BCCI announced Team India’s playing XI ahead of the third Test of the four-match series against Australia to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

As expected, Rohit Sharma, who has been named vice-captain for the remaining two matches, will be replacing Mayank Agarwal as the side’s opener while Navdeep Saini will be making his Test debut in the place of Umesh Yadav, who was ruled out of the series after suffering a calf muscle injury during the second Test. The rest of the team remains the same. While Shubham Gill is expected to open the match alongside Rohit Sharma, the middle-order spots will be occupied by Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Hanuma Vihari. Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin are the other bowling options in the eleven apart from Navdeep Saini.

Despite the Indian team recording its lowest score in the history of Test cricket after Australia bundled out India for 36 on day three of their first Test in Adelaide, the team bounced back with an eight-wicket win in the boxing day Test at the MCG to level the series. 

Team India’s playing XI for third Test –

Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma(VC), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, N Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah