India vs Australia: KL Rahul Dropped, Shubman Gill Included In Third Test Against Australia. What Rohit Sharma Said

01.03.2023 - 07:29 sports.ndtv.com

KL Rahul has been dropped from India's playing XI in the third Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a prolonged lean patch.

Youngster Shubman Gill has been included in KL Rahul's place in the XI. Rahul, who was named vice captain for the first two Tests, scored just 38 runs in the series.

The opener has scores of 22, 23, 10, 2, 20, 17 and 1 in his last seven innings. Rahul last scored a Test half-century in January, 2022 against South Africa in Johannesburg.

His last Test ton came against the same opponents in December 2021. Shubman, on the other hand, has scored 736 runs in 13 Tests with one tons and four half-centuries.

cricket Australia Cricket Team 2023 Test Steve Smith Rohit Sharma Umesh Yadav Australia South Africa India

The spotlight will once again be on KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja when India take on Australia in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, with regular captain Rohit Sharma returning to lead the side after missing the opening game in Mumbai. India defeated Australia by five wickets in a low-scoring game at the Wankhede Stadium, with Rahul, who struggled to find form during the Border-Gavaskar series leading to him being dropped for the third and fourth Tests, scoring a patient unbeaten 75 as the hosts cantered home.

India's Rahul secures nervy opening ODI win against Australia

MUMBAI : India's middle-order batter KL Rahul struck an unbeaten 75 to anchor their nervy chase against Australia in a low-scoring contest and secure a five-wicket win in the opening one-day international on Friday.

India's Predicted XI vs Australia, 1st ODI: With Ishan Kishan And Shubman Gill Confirmed, Will KL Rahul Get A Chance?

After clinching the four-match Test series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia 2-1, Team India is all set to face the same opponents again in a three-match ODI series. The first match of the series will be played on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. As skipper Rohit Sharma will be unavailable for the first match due to his family commitments, all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be donning the skipper's cap. Team India's last outing in the 50-over format was against New Zealand, where they clinched a 3-0 clean sweep. As the first ODI against Australia is just about to begin in less than 24 hours from now, it will be interesting to see that who will be getting a place in the playing XI.

Watch: Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara Bowl For India, Sunil Gavaskar's Comment Is Gold

Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara both turned bowlers for India in the final overs on Day 5 of the fourth Test match against Australia in Ahmedabad on Monday. With the match headed for a draw, India skipper Rohit Sharma opted for unconventional bowling choices, but the duo did not disappoint as commentators were left impressed by their discipline. While Shubman Gill kept bowling on the stumps with his off-spin, Pujara's action and bowling style reminded former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar of legendary Australia spinner Shane Warne. Both players bowled one over each in the final session.

Indian Test Players To Be Rested In IPL 2023? Rohit Sharma Shares WTC Final Preparation Plans

India captain Rohit Sharma on Monday said the Indian players, whose IPL sides won't make it to the playoffs of the T20 League, may assemble in London for a two-week conditioning camp ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia. The WTC final is played in June, right after the IPL and this year, the final is on May 29 while the WTC will begin on June 7 at the Oval. With IPL going back to its original home and away model for the first time since the post-COVID-19 outbreak, there will be a lot of travelling involved and among all the current India Test regulars, only Cheteshwar Pujara is not a part of the IPL.

"Test Cricket Is Hard-Fought": Rohit Sharma's Honest Verdict On India's Performance In Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Following his side's series win over Australia, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma remarked that the series was "fantastic" and different players contributed to the team's win by taking responsibility to bail the side out of difficult situations. Half-centuries from Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne helped Australia draw the fourth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. "It was a fantastic series. Right from the word go, how exciting it was. A lot of the players are playing this for the first time. We do understand the importance of this series and the opposition. A lot of hard work has gone into this. At different times we have come up with answers. We knew how important it was to start the series. The Delhi Test, I am very proud of. We were behind in the game. At Indore, we were put under pressure and lost the game. Different players put their hands up. A lot of guys took up the responsibility and bailed us out," said Rohit in a post-match presentation.