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Veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has proposed only one change to the Indian starting lineup for the third Test match against Australia in Brisbane after the team's embarrassing loss in Adelaide. Notably, Australia levelled the series 1-1 with a 10-wicket win over India in the second Test. The team captained by Rohit Sharma is keen to win the next Test in Brisbane after their defeat and is desperate to win the series in land down under again.
Pujara's suggestion for Gabba Test
Pujara has recommended that Washington Sundar be added to the starting XI in lieu of Ravichandran Ashwin after their defeat in Adelaide. Remarkably, Ashwin took Sundar's position in Adelaide and dismissed Mitchell Marsh with scores of 1/53 in 18 overs.
"I feel only one change might happen. Since the batting wasn't good, Washington Sundar can come in place of R Ashwin. Should someone come in place of Harshit Rana? In my opinion, no. You backed him and he performed well in the first match," Pujara said on Star Sports.
Pujara also backed Rana's inclusion in the third Test as well despite the pacer receiving criticism in the Adelaide Test over his performance.
"He is a good bowler. You cannot drop him just because one match went bad. Probably the only change for me would be Sundar for Ashwin if the team feels the batting lineup needs strengthening," he added.
Rana gave away 86 runs in 16 overs during the Adelaide Test, thus it was not a particularly noteworthy performance. But the 22-year-old had a fantastic start in Perth, taking out Travis Head and a stat of 3/48 in 15.2 overs in the first innings.
India's WTC Final hopes take big hit after Adelaide loss
India's ten-wicket defeat in the pink ball Test has severely hurt their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. To advance to their third straight final, the Rohit Sharma-led team must win the current series by a score of 3-1 or 4-1.
With nine victories from 16 games and a points percentage of 57.29%, India is now ranked third in the WTC rankings for the 2023–25 cycle following the Adelaide defeat. Conversely, with a percentage of 60.71%, Australia remains in second place. With a 63.33% points percentage and a commanding lead in the rankings, South Africa is only one victory away from earning a spot in the summit match.
