Rohit Sharma & Ben Stokes (X.com)
As the all-important third Test match between India and England is about to begin at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot, Rohit Sharma won a crucial toss on Thursday (February 15) and opted to bat first against Ben Stokes & his boys.
The last time a Test match was played here was in 2018, and India, against a depleted West Indies side, put up huge runs on the board, batting first, and then secured a thumping an-innings-and-a-big-margin victory.
While England announced their playing XI early, Rohit made a few blockbuster announcements after winning the toss. Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel received the maiden iTest caps, and to bolster the unit, local boy Ravindra Jadeja returned to the lineup, alongside Mohammed Siraj. They replaced Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar.
IND vs ENG 3rd Test Playing XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
With the series nicely poised at 1-1, this contest will be a crucial one for both sides before the focus shifts to the final two encounters.
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