Shikhar Dhawan will reportedly make his debut in the the third Test of the series against Australia starting Thursday at Mohali.
After Virender Sehwag's exclusion for the remaining two Tests, there was a toss-up between Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane for the berth at the top. Both batsmen have not played for India in whites and now, the wait for Rahane will be have to be longer according to reports.
Although Rahane has more first-class experience, Dhawan's inclusion can possibly be attributed to his left-handed stance which can help up at the top, especially as the other opener in Murali Vijay is right-handed.
“Pujara is fit and ready to play,” Dhawan, who will be making his Test debut tomorrow, told reporters. Initially though, the Delhi left-hander was reluctant in answering Pujara’s status. “You have to ask the physio for that,” was Dhawan’s answer.
Australia will, thus, be without their vice-captain, Shane Watson; their most experienced bowler, Mitchell Johnson; their most effective bowler, James Pattinson; and a promising young batsman, Usman Khawaja, at Mohali. Clarke may also have to do without first-choice wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade, who is down with a niggle. Brad Haddin has been called in as cover.
Arthur and Clarke with 12 players to choose from to make the playing 11 at Mohali.
The pitch at Mohali is expected to be more seamer friendly than the ones in Chennai and Hyderabad, but it is unlikely that India will change their bowling unit which comprises of 2 pacers and 3 spinners. MS Dhoni has rarely changed winning combinations in the past, and it is likely to remain that way for the third Test. All indications are that India will play with the same team (barring Sehwag) in Mohali, which means that Ojha and Rahane might miss out again.
Teams:
India (probable): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.
Australia (probable): Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Michael Clarke (c), Steven Smith, Moises Henriques, Brad Haddin (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty.
After Virender Sehwag's exclusion for the remaining two Tests, there was a toss-up between Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane for the berth at the top. Both batsmen have not played for India in whites and now, the wait for Rahane will be have to be longer according to reports.
Although Rahane has more first-class experience, Dhawan's inclusion can possibly be attributed to his left-handed stance which can help up at the top, especially as the other opener in Murali Vijay is right-handed.
“Pujara is fit and ready to play,” Dhawan, who will be making his Test debut tomorrow, told reporters. Initially though, the Delhi left-hander was reluctant in answering Pujara’s status. “You have to ask the physio for that,” was Dhawan’s answer.
Australia will, thus, be without their vice-captain, Shane Watson; their most experienced bowler, Mitchell Johnson; their most effective bowler, James Pattinson; and a promising young batsman, Usman Khawaja, at Mohali. Clarke may also have to do without first-choice wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade, who is down with a niggle. Brad Haddin has been called in as cover.
Arthur and Clarke with 12 players to choose from to make the playing 11 at Mohali.
The pitch at Mohali is expected to be more seamer friendly than the ones in Chennai and Hyderabad, but it is unlikely that India will change their bowling unit which comprises of 2 pacers and 3 spinners. MS Dhoni has rarely changed winning combinations in the past, and it is likely to remain that way for the third Test. All indications are that India will play with the same team (barring Sehwag) in Mohali, which means that Ojha and Rahane might miss out again.
Teams:
India (probable): Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.
Australia (probable): Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Michael Clarke (c), Steven Smith, Moises Henriques, Brad Haddin (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty.
