India vs Australia 2023: Strongest Predicted 11 for Tests

Rohit Sharma to lead as we look at the strongest predicted playing 11 for Team India for the 2023 Test series vs Australia. 

The Pre World Test Championship finale clash, the Border Gavaskar Trophy is going to witness an epic battle with Team India taking on Australia before the expected Blockbuster finale between both teams In June. Given the current World Test Championship qualification scenario, it looks highly likely these two teams will qualify for the summit clash. 

The Border Gavaskar Trophy scheduled in India may not be an ideal preparation for the World Test Championship final given the pitch conditions, but that takes away nothing from the fact that the series would have us glutted to the TV screens. Both teams are massively strong, and even with India’s home ground, it won’t be easy for them to beat Australia. 

With the series a month away, the most significant discussion point for Team India is the playing 11 selection. The Bangladesh Test Series had a lot of senior players missing. But with most of them returning to the squad, what could be the strongest predicted playing 11 for Team India for the 2023 Test Series vs Australia? Well, let’s find out in this article.  

India vs Australia 2023: Official Test Series Squad and Players List for Team India

Batters: Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma [c], Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav & Virat Kohli

Wks: KS Bharat & Ishan Kishan

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers: Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj & Umesh Yadav

Captain: Rohit Sharma // Vice-captain: KL Rahul

Team India’s Strongest Predicted Playing 11

Batters

Captain Rohit Sharma had missed the Test series vs Bangladesh, and KL Rahul led the team in his absence. But with Rohit Sharma now back, he should be back to opening the innings alongside Kl Rahul. It’s unfortunate for Shubman Gil to not get a nod ahead of KL Rahul even after doing well in Tests vs Bangladesh. But with KL Rahul being the vice-captain, we should see him opening alongside Rohit Sharma.

Apart from these three, we should see the same trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer, for the middle-order position. The middle-order does see an addition of a new player Suryakumar Yadav. SKY receives a call-up purely for his match-winning abilities. However, he will have to wait for his turn to play.  

Wicket-keepers: 

Coming to the wicket-keeper selection, the void of India’s number 1 ranked Test batter, Rishabh Pant is very big to fill. In Pant’s absence, his first-choice backup, KS Bharat should remain India’s wicket-keeping option ahead of Ishan Kishan, who got a maiden Test squad call-up.  

Spin All-rounders: 

Coming to the All-rounder, we should finally see the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel playing together. Jadeja had missed the Bangladesh Test series and Kuldeep Yadav played in his absence. Although Jadeja is selected subject to fitness, we are hopeful he gets fit before the first Test of the BG trophy. 

Meanwhile, another unfortunate incident would be leaving out Kuldeep Yadav, who was very impressive in his last Test outing vs Bangladesh. But with Jadeja returning, you can’t drop Axar as he has been impressive since his debut and you can’t drop Ashwin because he is your number 1 spinner.

Pacers:

Coming to the pacers, we should see Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj as the two first-choice options for Team India. It’s unfortunate India don’t have the presence of Jasprit Bumrah. However, with Mohammed Shami returning, he should take Umesh Yadav’s place in the squad. This should be applicable for the first two Tests as Nagpur and Delhi pitches assist spin more.   

India vs Australia 2023 – Strongest Predicted Test Series Playing 11 for Team India:

Rohit Sharma [c], KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat [wk], Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

So, that’s about the strongest predicted playing 11 for Team India for the 2023 Test series vs Australia. India would definitely miss Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. But even in their absence, Team India have a formidable playing 11.

The main discussion point for India would be the selection of the opener, wicket-keeper, and the availability of Jadeja. Meanwhile, the first Test begins on February 9, and will be played in Nagpur. Here’s the complete official schedule for India vs Australia 2023 Test series. 

India vs Australia 2023 Official Test Series Schedule:

• 1st Test – Feb 9-13 @ Nagpur
• 2nd Test  – Feb 17-21 @ Delhi
• 3rd Test  – March 01-05 @ Dharamsala
• 4th Test  – March 9-13 @ Ahmedabad

Thanks for reading! What’s your squad for Team India for the 2023 Test series vs Australia? Please email your comments to business@cricalytics.com

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