After losing the Hyderabad Test against England, India clawed back emphatically with wins in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot to take a 2-1 lead with two matches left. Ahead of the Ranchi Test, Wisden India writers pick their preferred XI.
Gap for India to fill as Jasprit Bumrah, the most successful bowler in the series so far (17 wickets at 13.64), took a break in the fourth Test to manage his workload there is. Mukesh Kumar, who was dismissed before the third Test, was recalled after posting a career-best 10 furlongs in the Ranji Trophy.
Jasprit Bumrah has taken 16 wickets at 13.64 in the series so far.
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Akash Deep and Mohammad Siraj are the other seam bowlers in the team, while Axar Patel could also be selected as an additional spin bowling option. This means that India has many options and reconciling them all is a difficult task.
Wisden India authors have chosen:
Abhishek Mukherjee
Wisden India head of content
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj > Stark> p>
Padikal scored 105, 65 and 21 runs for India A, earning him a call-up to the Indian team, and scored 151 and 36 runs from third place against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy. India may want to give him a Test cap and leave out Rajat Patidar, who looked unhappy in the two Test matches. In Bumrah’s absence, Axar is most likely to come on at a different time on the field, which would improve his batting as well. If not, Mukesh is likely to play as the second man ahead of Akash Deep, his junior paceman for Bengal.
Atri Sanfui
Wisden India staff writer
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav , Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh KumarStark> p>
Apart from Bumrah, no other pacer from both the teams could feature in the top seven list of best wicket-takers in the series, highlighting how good he was. Unlike England, Mukesh is likely to remain in the XI in place of Bumrah, given that India have consistently fielded two pacers in the three matches. The series number is correct compared to the selection and although Mukesh had problems in his second Test, he is currently in good form.
The rest of the eleven does not need a makeover as Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jhuler are expected to make a great start to their Test careers in Rajkot. KL Rahul’s long-term absence due to a quad injury has given Patidar a chance to prove himself in this format.
Shubham Pandey
Wisden India social media manager
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Akashdeep, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
Choosing my Indian starting XI for the 4th Test at Ranchi will be relatively easy. Patidar will be replaced by Aksar and Bumrah will be replaced by Akashdeep. There is no shame in admitting that Bumrah is an irreplaceable player in any condition and in any format he plays around the world, but the decision to rest him for the fourth Test is a result of the spin-off. That, combined with expectations for uneven jump-promoted pitching, influenced my selection.
I chose Akashdeep because he is a bit faster than Mukesh and can attack the stumps aggressively. He has also made notable contributions with his batting in domestic cricket and I believe he can help the team if required.
Axar’s signing of Patidar is primarily based on my desire to provide the captain with an additional spin bowling option in the absence of India’s best fast bowler. It may be a tough task for Patidar, but I believe Axar can prove to be India’s most effective spinner under Ranchi conditions. Apart from these changes, he does not think India will need any further changes.
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