Team India is set to make a few changes for the fourth Test against Australia which begins on Thursday (March 9) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India were in a good position after winning the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi but suffered a crushing nine-wicket defeat to the Australians in the third Test in Indore last week.
One of the major areas of concern is the batting of the Indian side which has struggled throughout the Test series. The absence of Rishabh Pant has been felt by Srikar Bharat as he failed to fire with the bat averaging just 14 in his debut Test series.
Speculations are now rife that Jharkhand and Mumbai Indians wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan is set to make his Test debut in Ahmedabad ahead of India. Kishan became the fourth Indian batsman to score a double century in ODIs against Bangladesh last year.
Bharat, who filled in for Rishabh Pant after the latter’s accident, excelled behind the stumps, but managed only 57 runs in the series at an average of 14.25. While Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan, who is also in the squad, can be considered close to Pant considering his batting abilities, Rohit has partnered Bharat in the near future.
“Talking about Pant, it is a big blunder. We all know what he can do with the bat, and keeping too, he has done well for us on turning pitches over the years. This is a big mistake. When we knew he would not be available for us, that was one of the reasons why we included Ishaan in the team because obviously he is a left-handed batsman and can play attacking cricket.
Colours, smiles and more! ,
do not miss #TeamIndiaHoli celebration in Ahmedabad_ pic.twitter.com/jOAKSxayBA– BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2023
“But speaking about India. He has spent a lot of time in domestic cricket, played a lot of Ranji Trophy, India ‘A’ team cricket, zonal and scored a lot of runs. So it would be a bit unfair to judge him on these pitches.
Another change that India is considering is the inclusion of an additional batsman in the form of KL Rahul in place of pacer in the form of Mohammed Siraj. India may opt to go with only four bowlers in the match with Umesh Yadav alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Australia, on the other hand, are expected to stick with the same playing XI which saw them win the previous match in Indore. With skipper Pat Cummins still back home, Steve Smith will continue to lead with Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green giving him pace options.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akshar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat/Ishan Kishan, Umesh Yadav
Australia: Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnmann