With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on level terms, India have everything to play for in the third Test at Gabba, Brisbane against Australia. The World Test Championship (WTC) final hopes can be met with a big dent if Rohit Sharma and co are to go down in the third Test of the five-match series. Heading into the Gabbatoir, the visitors have several selection headaches to take care of, but the prominent question remains – where should captain Rohit Sharma bat? Should he open or continue to play at No.6?
Having seen KL Rahul perform exceptionally well in the Perth Test, Rohit sacrificed his position at the top of the order to give KL and Yashasvi Jaiswal another chance. While that experiment didn’t produce a repeat of Perth, Rohit struggled to bat at No. 6, registering scores of 3 and 6. Weighing in on India’s team combination, former national selector Saba Karim reckons Rohit should have played as an opener in Adelaide, advocating for the Indian captain to return to his preferred slot.
“Rohit should have opened in the second Test match. So I think he needs to go back to his opening slot. That is number one. Number two. I don’t foresee too many changes. We lost the last Test match because we didn’t bat well in the first innings. And so that should be the first motive of the Indian side. To bat well in the first innings. They need to put a score of 340-350 in that zone. That’s the only way we can take the game forward,” the former India wicketkeeper said in an interaction with The Hindustan Times.
“KL Rahul had come in as an opener in the absence of Rohit Sharma. So since he has played like a floater for several years now, he’s quite equipped to handle that position at number five or number six,” he added.
India are also battling spin conundrums. Washington Sundar played in Perth, but was replaced by Ravichandran Ashwin in Gabba. However, Ravindra Jadeja who is yet to get a look in for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, should play ahead of Ashwin in Brisbane, feels Saba.
“I’m surprised no one is talking about Ravindra Jadeja. If you want to bolster your batting line-up, then he may be a very strong bet to come in at number seven. A left-arm spinner is extremely accurate, and very disciplined so you can block one end up. That will allow Rohit Sharma to rotate his pace bowlers from the other end. I see him coming in replace of R Ashwin.”
“Because R Ashwin, although he is such a fabulous bowler, he may be given another opportunity. But I think if you want to bolster your batting lineup – the way India has batted in the last two test matches, especially in the first innings – I think Jadeja has done this role several times in the past for India,” he added.
Harshit Rana should maintain his place in the playing XI
The former selector also feels Harshit Rana should maintain his place in the playing XI for at least the next Test match in Brisbane. Harshit made a memorable debut in Perth, picking 4 wickets, but soon realised why Test cricket is considered the pinnacle as he went wicketless with the pink ball.
“Well, now since you have already played Harshit Rana… if he doesn’t do well in one Test match, it does not mean that you should drop him. Brisbane is such a fast and bouncy surface with his height and the kind of pace and bounce that Harshit Rana generates. Yes, I think they can continue with Harshit Rana even for the third Test,” said Saba Karim.
Saba, who played 34 ODIs and 1 Test for India, also feels Mohammed Shami should be on the flight to Australia for at least the fourth Test in Melbourne, beginning December 26. Shami, who returned from an injury in November 2024 has played one Ranji Trophy match and 9 T20s for Bengal since. The pacer has been clocking speeds of 130-135kmph and appears raring to go. Still there’s no confirmation over his fitness and no one knows whether the speedster would be named in India’s squad for the 4th and 5th Tests.
“Strong case for him to be included in the side. I think it all depends on the National Cricket Academy’s clearance. I think he should be drafted in ASAP. At least for the fourth Test match now, I think for him to be there for the third Test match may not be so easy, so I think he should be ready for the fourth Test,” he said.
Can Jasprit Bumrah play all five Tests?
Jasprit Bumrah, the leader of the attack, has already bowled 54 overs in the first two Tests. The 31-year-old was even seen holding his abductor muscle in the Adelaide Test, sparking injury concerns. Can we expect the world’s No.1 ranked Test bowler to play the remaining three Tests in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney?
“I think you can closely monitor him. So the team management and support staff would be in a far better position to give that kind of a go-ahead for Jasprit Bumrah,” said the former selector.
