With only two days to go for the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series match against Australia, to be played in Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from January 7, the Indian team management is still weighing their options when it comes to the team combination.
As per reports from PTI, Rohit Sharma will certainly replace Mayank Agarwal in the playing XI, something that was expected with Agarwal struggling and failing to make a substantial score in 7 of his last eight Test innings.
However, speculation is still on who will replace Umesh Yadav in SCG Test as the third pacer. Will it be Shardul Thakur or Navdeep Saini?
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A few days back, Mumbai seamer and useful lower-order batsman Shardul Thakur was considered a favorite but it is learnt that there are some senior players, who feel that Saini, India's fastest bowler by a distance, could be used to unsettle the wobbly Australian batting line-up with his raw pace.
Indian team’s net session at overcast SCG saw Rohit Sharma dealing with pace and spin with ease. But the decision on the third pacer has been delayed given that the match pitch was covered at SCG due to rain possibilities.
On Wednesday, a look at the strip and the conditions will probably help them make a decisive choice. If the conditions are overcast and there is a bit more moisture on the strip, then Thakur is expected to be preferred.
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However, on a flat track, Saini, with his pace and ability to reverse the old ball, could prove to be a handful against a batting order that has struggled to put up even 200 runs on the board.
Thakur, who has 206 wickets in 62 FC games, has played one Test back in 2018 against the West Indies but had to return to the pavilion with an injury after bowling a couple of overs. For Saini, it will be his Test debut, but he has 128 wickets in 46 FC matches at an average of 28.46.
The management also has the option of giving a debut to T Natarajan, who has experienced a meteoric rise in the past four months, having made a successful foray into ODIs and T20Is for India.
(PTI inputs)
