IND vs ENG: India may drop these three players in 3rd Test, Sarfaraz to come In?

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A scintillating display with bat and ball helped India to come back to level terms in the ongoing Test series against England.

Rohit Sharma and his troops registered a fantastic victory in Vizag to draw the five-match series 1-1 after the second match.

As the crucial series unfolds and takes the next step, the Indian cricket team will be hoping to stamp their authority in the coming matches. With a significant leap in the WTC 2023-25 Standings, there have to be curated measures from the Indian team to yield optimum results and continue their upsurge.

In the first two matches, we have witnessed some outstanding performances from the Indian team.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is the highest scorer of the series so far with 321 runs, which included a superb double hundred in the second match. Jasprit Bumrah has showcased his elite class in turning pitches and has 15 scalps to his name already in the series.

But team India will be concerned with forms of some players and may be looking to make some changes in the next match. The winning combination is something that the teams tend to go with, but a bolder decision can come from Rahul Dravid and his staff. And if that arrives, three players can lose their spot as their status are quite vulnerable.

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has disappointed so far in the series. The Indian batter has got starts, but has repeatedly squandered chances to make them count in the first 4 innings of this series. In total, Iyar has amassed 104 runs with a very paltry average of 26. Hence, we may see the Indian think tank trying out something different in the Rajkot test.

Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar was introduced in the second test in place of Mohammad Siraj. But the pacer has been largely disappointing. He was expensive in the first innings, while went for runs in the 2nd innings as well. In total, Mukesh bowled 12 overs in the Vizag Test and got just 1 wicket with an economy rate of almost six runs per over.

Although it may be too early to drop Mukesh Kumar, but we may see someone like Avesh Khan coming into the side in Rajkot.

KS Bharat

KS Bharat's lean patch with the bat continues in India. The wicketkeeper-batter is yet to score a half-century for India despite playing 12 innings. In this series, Bharat has scored 92 runs across four innings and hasn't looked comfortable at the crease.

With players like Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan waiting on the wings, we may see one of them replacing the 30-year-old in the next match. Bharat also had a wobble behind the stumps in Vizag, and that can compound his problems.

IND vs ENG 3rd Test: Will Sarfaraz Khan play?

Sarfaraz Khan got his elusive national team call-up for the second test, and he may well be included in the upcoming matches as well. Will the player get an opportunity in the first team? That remains a huge question.

The only opening for the Mumbai batter will be the position of KS Bharat. And that is quite vulnerable at the moment. So we may see him making his test debut for India in Rajkot. He can also replace Shreyas Iyer but that can be a risky move for India. Hence if Bharat gets the axe, then only Sarfaraz may have his first international cap.