0
0
No prizes for guessing this time. After levelling the series against England at Edgbaston, India are set to make just one change to their playing XI — Jasprit Bumrah will return in place of Prasidh Krishna, sources told CricBlogger.
Bumrah was rested for the second Test as part of a workload management strategy after featuring in the series opener. Despite his absence, India managed to bounce back strongly, winning at Edgbaston to draw level in the series.
This also means that players like Karun Nair — whose continued selection has drawn criticism from several experts, particularly with Sai Sudharsan and Abhimanyu Easwaran waiting in the wings — are set to retain their spots in the XI, sources said. Similarly, Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar are expected to hold their places as well, despite mounting competition and ongoing debate over the team’s balance.
It has also emerged that captain Shubman Gill does not favour Shardul Thakur’s inclusion in the playing XI — a sentiment that became apparent during the first Test, where the Mumbai all-rounder bowled just six overs out of the 101 India sent down.
There are also murmurs within the cricketing circles that Gill has shown a tendency to favour his franchise teammates — such as Sai, Prasidh, and Washington — over other deserving options. At the same time, with the selectors clearly backing youth over senior pros, questions are being raised about Nair’s inclusion ahead of several promising youngsters in the squad.
Bumrah will rock in the third Test.