Australia vs India 2018-19, 3rd Test: 2 injured players whom India wouldn't miss much 

India meet Australia in the third Test of the four-Test series on Boxing day at Melbourne on December 26. With the series leveled at 1-1, there is a lot of expectation from the Boxing day Test match to produce exciting and competitive cricket. The week-long break between the second and third Test would have done a world of good for the players of both the teams, more so for the players who are carrying injury.

Turning back, India messed up the second Test at Perth with their erratic team selection. They went into the 5-day Test match without a specialist spinner. This forced Virat Kohli to use Hanuma Vihari’s off-spin for 28 overs in that match. When Ashwin was a non-starter for the second Test match, India should have gone with Ravindra Jadeja, if fit, or the mystery leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Having made up their mind to go in with 4 fast bowlers, at the very least, India could have gone in with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But India strangely chose Umesh Yadav as the fourth seamer as a replacement for the injured Ashwin which put them on the back foot from the start of the match.

Again, having chosen to play 4 fast bowlers, at the toss, Virat Kohli expressed his desire to bat first had he won the toss which was bizarre. The selection of the more controlled bowler and a better batsman like Bhuvneshwar Kumar or a mystery spinner like a Kuldeep Yadav in place of Umesh Yadav would have made all the difference to the Indian team. As it turned out and as expected, the least preferred choice, Umesh Yadav was quite generous in leaking plenty of runs.

Be that as it may, Team India would wish to start the Boxing Day Test afresh. However, they are once again faced with injury concerns as both Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma are yet to recover from injury while Jadeja is the latest addition to the injury list. On top of it, Hardik Pandya has joined the team after a long injury lay-off. Against this background, the Indian team management is working overtime to arrive at the best team composition for the crucial Melbourne Test.

In this article, let us analyze the 2 Indian players whose injury wouldn’t matter much for Team India.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma - Flatter to deceive in overseas Test matches

Rohit Sharma played the first Test at Adelaide and scored 37 runs in the first innings, where he was more in a hit-out or get-out mood as he managed to hit 2 fours and 3 sixes in his short stay at the wicket. In the end, as anticipated, he got out attempting a big hit off Nathan Lyon. But it was in the second innings that Rohit Sharma got a wonderful opportunity to prove himself and cement his place in the team.

When he walked out to bat in the second innings, India were comfortably placed at 234 for 4 with an overall lead of 249 runs. With the well set Rahane at the other end, Rohit could have heeded to his natural attacking instincts and could have played a blinder, like the one played by Rishabh Pant later in the innings. But he chose to defend which resulted in his tame dismissal. With that, his poor overseas performance continued.

In the second Test at Perth, Rohit Sharma’s injury came as a blessing-in-disguise for Team India. Though his replacement Hanuma Vihari didn’t score much with the bat, he ended up bowling 28 overs in the match to reduce the workload of the 4 fast bowlers. Vihari was more compact in defense than Rohit and has more chances of occupying the crease for a longer duration of time.

After all his efforts in the second Test, it would not be fair to replace Hanuma Vihari with Rohit Sharma in the middle-order. Perhaps, a place at the top for one of them in place of the out-of-form openers is the way to go for Team India. Whatever be the case, Rohit’s non-availability due to injury for the Third test wouldn’t affect the team in any manner.

Ravindra Jadeja

A half-fit Jadeja wouldn't be effective as a bowler

Another doubtful starter for Team India for the third Test due to injury is Ravindra Jadeja. In fact, now it has been revealed that he was not fully fit when he left the Indian shore to Down Under. If he was not fully fit for the second Test at Perth, it is puzzling that he found a place in the 13 member squad announced by the team one day before the second Test.

As in the second Test, the Australian batting line-up would feature 6 left-handers in the third Test against whom the half-fit Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm orthodox spin wouldn’t be that effective. Perhaps, he might make a difference with his batting and fielding. However, if Ashwin doesn’t recover in time to play the third Test, India would be better off with the wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav who could be the X-factor India are searching for in this series. In addition, Kuldeep is no mock with the bat. Hence, Jadeja’s absence for the third Test wouldn’t be felt much.

To sum up, it is Ravichandran Ashwin who is crucial for India for the third Test at Melbourne. He took 6 wickets in the first Test at Adelaide and was instrumental in India winning that Test by a narrow margin. The return of fit-again Hardik Pandya would be a welcome addition to the Indian team as a bowler on overseas conditions.

However, the real problem for India lies at the top with the out-of-form openers. It would be a great relief for the Indian fans if one or both of the two out-of-form openers miss the third Test.