Border Gavaskar Trophy: Predicted India Playing XI for the Gabba Test

While India sustained a heavy defeat in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide, the five-match series is poised at 1-1 Down Under. The India vs Australia Test series could swing either way, and the Brisbane Test, the third fixture of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, will play a crucial role in setting the tone. Australia has regained its lethal form, as witnessed in the second Test, where they handed a 10-wicket defeat to the visitors. India, meanwhile, gained an early edge by winning the opening Test in Perth by 295 runs. With one victory each in their accounts, the tussle is anticipated to be on full display at the iconic Gabba.

A day before the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy commences at the Gabba, Australia announced their playing XI. The hosts will take the field with just one change to the team that played the Adelaide Test. Fortunately, Josh Hazlewood has made a swift recovery to rejoin the team after missing just one match in the series. After playing the opening Test in Perth, where he emerged as Australia's highest wicket-taker, Hazlewood was ruled out due to a side strain. In his absence, Scott Boland gained a spot, playing alongside Mitchell Starc in the day-night Test. However, Boland will return to the bench as Pat Cummins confirmed Hazlewood's comeback. Apart from the Hazlewood-Boland swap, Australia will play the same team in Brisbane.

The woes of India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy

India, meanwhile, faces many questions before finalizing their playing XI for the third BGT Test. The team played without Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in Perth. With Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel taking up the empty spots, the team, led by Jasprit Bumrah, won the contest. However, the lineup changed significantly for the pink-ball Test. While the return of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma and the consequent exit of Padikkal and Jurel was no surprise, another shocking decision was made to tackle the pink ball. India left out Washington Sundar in favor of the experienced Ravichandran Ashwin.

Ashwin, however, failed to make any impact in a match that witnessed abysmal performances from almost the entire lineup. Rohit Sharma, playing his first match of the series, batted at No. 6, sacrificing the opening slot to KL Rahul. However, like his season-long struggle as an opener, Sharma continued his dry spell in the middle order as well. Consequently, Sharma's position in the batting order is a significant talking point ahead of the Gabba Test.

KL Rahul batted exceptionally well as an opener in the Perth Test, but the struggles of Rohit Sharma persisted irrespective of his position. The captain managed only paltry scores of 3 and 6 in Adelaide against the pink ball. Virat Kohli, who scored his 81st ton in Perth, also failed to make an impact with the bat in Adelaide. The story remained eerily similar for the entire batting lineup, barring the young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

While India delivered a thoroughly disappointing display with the bat in Adelaide, the lineup is anticipated to remain unchanged in Brisbane. However, Ravi Ashwin is likely to make way for Washington Sundar, who could provide a reliable partnership with Nitish Reddy down the order. As for the bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah continues to be India's mainstay. While Harshit Rana impressed on debut in Perth, his inexperience was exposed in Adelaide, where he went wicketless with an economy of 5.40.

Predicted India Playing 11 for the third Border Gavaskar Trophy Test

Updates from Gabba suggest a challenging turf for the visitors. Unlike the 2021 clash, when India played at the venue in January, the upcoming fixture is scheduled earlier in the summer. Thus, the pitch is expected to be a fiery surface with significant bounce. Moreover, weather forecasts in Brisbane predict overcast conditions throughout the schedule of the third Test. India may opt for an all-out pace attack to counter the Aussies at the Gabba.

As a result, Akash Deep could replace the young Harshit Rana in the lineup. With Nitish Reddy providing depth in the batting order, the all-rounder will serve as the fourth pace option. However, discussions around the Gabba conditions raise the possibility that India could drop Ashwin not for Sundar but for an all-seam attack. Such a move could be risky, given that players like Washington Sundar or even Ravindra Jadeja offer ample batting capabilities, a department India has struggled with in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Predicted India Playing XI for the Gabba Test

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (C), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep