Team India are expected to make as many as four changes to their line-up for the third Test against England in Rajkot owing to injuries, balance and a few players coming back while some of them are out of form. With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul unavailable, a spot in the middle-order has opened up yet again with Shreyas Iyer axed from the squad and the question is who that lucky player will be?
While many expect Sarfaraz Khan, who has been waiting in the wings for the longest to get his Test cap, former Australian spinner Brad Hogg is inclined towards giving the cap to the left-handed Devdutt Padikkal. Padikkal, who joined the team on the eve of the game in Rajkot, was the latest inclusion to the Test side after Rahul was ruled out of the third Test.
Hogg on his YouTube channel said that Padikkal being a top-order batter and a left-hander could be ahead of Sarfaraz in the pecking order. "I think they will go for Padikkal (over Sarfaraz). He has scored a fine hundred against Tamil Nadu the other day. It was a brilliant innings. Coach Rahul Dravid is a big one (admirer) for top-order batters. You need to be able to bat in more than one position and that's what Padikkal does."
Hogg further explained his call saying that Sarfaraz has had his struggles against pace and that could be the deciding factor. "We have seen Sarfaraz Khan have a bit of trouble with pace in the IPL. But if he has been working on it, Rahul Dravid has been having him in the nets facing Bumrah and handling him well then I would go with Sarfaraz Khan. But what I have seen outside of the little bubble, I will go with Padikkal. I know I have been harsh on Sarfaraz Khan there, but I love what Padikkal got to offer with a left-hander in that line-up," Sarfaraz added.
Sarfaraz has been part of the training and drills for the last few days and it seems not just he but wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel will also make his debut for India.
