India suffered a comprehensive defeat to Australia in the second Test in Adelaide. The visitors were brilliant in the first Test and picked a comprehensive 295-run win. Australia, however, handed a brutal reality check to India with a crushing 10-wicket win in the second Test. The defeat would leave India a lot to think about before the third Test. The form of senior batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is a big concern, while Jasprit Bumrah's workload management will also be a hot topic of debate. The third Test will be played in Brisbane which is known to produce fast and bouncy tracks. Changes in the Indian XI look inevitable following the defeat and where the next Test will be played. Let's look at how India's XI could look like in the third Test vs Australia.

India's Likely XI For 3rd Test

India would be hoping that Mohammed Shami boards the flight to Australia soon and join the squad for the third Test. If Shami is declared fit, it will be a massive boost for the Indian cricket team. Shami could replace Harshit Rana in the playing XI. India brought R Ashwin in the XI for the second Test but he looked ineffective. The reason being that the pitch didn't offer much help to him. Ashwin could again be dropped from the XI, with Washington Sundar making a return to the team. There is a slight possibility that India could also play an all-pace attack but that would mean that India's tail would be longer and given the form of the top-order batters, India would need the cushion of a bowling all-rounder which is where Sundar comes in handy.

There are calls for Rohit Sharma to drop himself from the XI. Rohit hasn't been in great form and he looked clueless in the second Test in Adelaide. There have been a few instances in the past where the captain has dropped himself from the XI but can Rohit take such a bold call? Very unlikely because even if Rohit wants to drop himself, Gautam Gambhir might not approve the move. Also, India might have Jasprit Bumrah as Rohit's alternative in terms of leadership, but they don't have an experienced batter. Rest of the team should remain the same.

India's Likely XI For 3rd Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami/Harshit Rana/Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

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