Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023: India's Predicted Playing XI

India are all set to lock horns with Australia in the four-match Test series (Border-Gavaskar Trophy), starting February 9. The last time when both heavyweights clashed in the longest format of the game in India was back in 2017 and it was the Men in Blue who stood tall, clinching the series 2-1. India announced the squad for the first two Tests against the Aussies on January 13. Ishan Kishan has been handed his maiden Test call-up and Suryakumar Yadav has also made the cut. India’s 17-member squad is studded with match-winners and it will be quite interesting to see the names who find a place in the starting XI. Here is India's Predicted Playing XI: 1. Rohit Sharma (c) Rohit Sharma is one of the finest opening batters that Indian cricket has produced. The 50-over format has been his happy hunting ground, where he has amassed 9554 runs in 237 matches at a strike rate of 48.74. The veteran batter has shown his batting might in the Test arena as well and scored 3137 runs in 45 games at an average of 46.13. Rohit battled with a lot of injuries in 2022 and thus, played only two Tests, where he scored only 90 runs at an average of 30.00. Though the 35-year-old is short of match practice in red-ball cricket, he has the caliber to thrive against Australia. He will be counted upon to provide India with solid starts. Besides Rohit’s batting prowess, he is a phenomenal leader and has proven his captaincy credentials in IPL and also the international arena. However, it will be the first time the Nagpur-born will captain the Indian Test side against a team as strong as Australia and the onus will be on him to guide the Men in Blue to a series triumph. 2. KL Rahul KL Rahul has been a run-bank for India in white-ball cricket. He has scored 4128 runs in 132 matches in the limited-over circuit. However, the 30-year-old has not had the same success in the game's longest format. He has scored 2604 runs in 45 Test matches at an average of 34.26. Further, Rahul was quite dismal in the Test arena in 2022, scoring 137 runs in four games at an average of 17.12. However, he would take a lot of heart from the fact that he was prolific with the bat when the last time Australia toured India and notched up 393 runs in four Tests. Rahul is technically very solid and is a good player of both spin and pace. He would look to bring his A-game into play in the upcoming Test series against the Aussies. Moreover, he is the vice-captain and will be seen assisting Rohit in shepherding the troops. 3. Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara has been the rock of the Indian batting line-up for over a decade. There are not many players in today’s era who put up a prize on their wickets as high as Pujara does. He has displayed enormous patience and determination on the cricket field and wore down bowling line-ups. Pujara has featured in 98 matches and accumulated 7014 runs at an average of 44.39. The ace batter has been quite phenomenal when he has faced Australia. He has played 20 matches against the Aussies and aggregated 1893 runs at an average of 54.08. Thus, when the Men in Blue lock horns with Pat Cummins & co. , Pujara would be counted upon to deliver the goods with the bat at the top of the order. The veteran batter was prolific with the bat in the Test series against Bangladesh, scoring 222 runs in two matches and he would be itching to put up a show in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 4. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli is one of the finest cricketers of the current generation. The 34-year-old has dismantled bowling attacks with his marauding bat and has piled on truckloads of runs across formats. He has played 104 Tests and amassed 8119 runs at an average of 48.90. The former Indian skipper has enjoyed playing against Australia and his stellar numbers tell the story. Kohli has featured in 20 Tests and scored 1682 runs at an average of 48.05. He would look to put up a batting masterclass when the Men in Blue challenge Cummins & co. in February. Kohli has been in a pristine touch of late. In the recently concluded ODI series against the Lankan Lions, he knocked the winds out of the Sri Lankan bowling attack and plundered 283 runs in three matches at a superb strike rate of 137.37. The veteran batter would look to translate his white-ball form into red-ball cricket and make the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 his own. 5. Shubman Gill One player who is in red-hot form with the bat at the moment is Shubman Gill. The young batting sensation has been unrelenting with the bat recently and his form recognises no barriers at the moment. After scoring a match-winning ton in the third ODI in Thiruvananthapuram against Sri Lanka, he backed it up with a historic double century in the very next game and visitors New Zealand found themselves at the receiving end. Since, Iyer is highly likely to miss out on the first Test in Nagpur, India will be tempted to play Shubman at his place just because of the weight of runs he has scored recently. He also scored a Test century against Bangladesh on Day 3 of the first Test in December 2022. Hence, his inclusion in the playing XI will certainly not raise many eyebrows. If given an opportunity the Fazilka-born would be eager to stage the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 on fire with his batting exploits. 6. KS Bharat (wk) KS Bharat has been a bankable name in the Indian domestic circuit. The 29-year-old has featured in 86 first-class games and scored 4707 runs in 86 games at an average of 37.95. Also, he has scored 1950 runs in 64 List-A matches at an average of 33.62. Bharat has been around the Indian Test set-up for the last couple of years but with Rishabh Pant playing the wicketkeeper-batter’s role to perfection, the Visakhapatnam-born has not been able to make his international debut yet. However, given Pant will not feature in the upcoming Test series against Australia due to injury, India are likely to start with Bharat in the keeper's slot. The Andhra Pradesh batter has proven his mettle in the domestic arena time and time again and he would need to bring his A-game into play to thrive against the formidable Australian bowling attack. 7. Axar Patel Axar Patel is one of the top all-rounders in the Indian cricketing circles. He has taken 56 scalps in 49 ODIs and scored 381 runs at a strike rate of 105.24. In Tests, the 28-year-old has bagged 47 wickets in eight games at a staggering average of 14.29 and scored 249 runs in those outings. Axar was sensational with the ball in the Test series against Bangladesh and picked up eight wickets in two matches at an average of 23.37. On the batting front, the ace all-rounder provided crucial contributions with the bat and scored 52 runs in three innings. With Ravindra Jadeja not certain to attain full fitness by the start of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023, one might see Axar playing the all-rounder role at number seven. He has strangled batters with his impeccable lines and lengths and provided the Men in Blue with timely breakthroughs. Further, the southpaw has been in good batting form, having smashed 117 runs in the T20I series against Sri Lanka. He would be itching to make a mark in the marquee Test series against Australia. 8. Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin has been a giant of a player in world cricket. Test cricket has been Ashwin’s cup of tea where he has bamboozled batters with his variations and bagged an insane tally of 442 wickets at an average of 24.13. Also, the 36-year-old has been a match-winner with the bat and scored 3043 runs at an average of 27.41 in those outings. Ashwin displayed his all-round prowess in the Test series against Bangladesh. The veteran spinner picked up seven wickets in two matches and scored 112 runs at an average of 56.00. This includes a crunch knock of 42* runs off 62 balls in the second Test to help the Men in Blue get over the line. Ashwin has been India’s go-to man with the ball in the subcontinent conditions when in need of wickets and the ace off-spinner has delivered the goods time and time again. Further, his credentials with the bat increase the batting depth of the side. The ace all-rounder would be key to India’s chances in the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 9. Kuldeep Yadav Kuldeep Yadav has been a proven performer for India across formats. The 28-year-old has featured in 75 ODIs and picked up 124 wickets at an economy of 5.18. Talking about the longest format of the game, he has bagged 34 scalps in eight games at an average of 21.55. Kuldeep has been on top of his game of late. When India encountered Bangladesh in the first game of the two-match Test series, the left-arm wrist spinner spun the web around the opposition and bagged eight wickets. Also, he played a vital knock of 40 runs off 114 balls in the first innings. The Kanpur-born carried on his good work and bagged five wickets in two games in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Kuldeep’s inclusion brings variety to the bowling attack and given he is in his groove, the team management could be inclined towards playing him in the Test series against Cummins & co. 10. Mohammed Shami Mohammed Shami has carried the mantle of India’s pace attack along with Jasprit Bumrah in both ODIs and Tests. In the 50-over format, Shami has featured in 85 games and picked up 155 scalps. Coming to the longest format, he has picked up 216 wickets in 60 matches at an average of 27.45. Shami has troubled batters with his ability to move the new ball. Also, he is equally lethal with the old cherry and has ripped apart top-quality batting line-ups with his reverse swing. However, the veteran pacer did not fare well in the year 2022. He played five Tests and could manage only 13 wickets at an average of 34.46. Also, Shami missed India’s last Test assignment, which was against Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury. With Bumrah ruled out of at least the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Amroha-born will need to be at his vintage best and lead India’s pace attack. Shami showed glimpses of brilliance in the final ODI against Sri Lanka, picking two wickets for 20 runs. The team management would hope the right-arm seamer builds on this performance and wreak havoc against Australia. 11. Mohammed Siraj Mohammed Siraj has set the international circuit by storm from the time he stepped into the Test arena. He has made the ball talk at the start of the innings and provided India with early breakthroughs. The 28-year-old has played 15 Tests and bagged 46 scalps at an average of 30.39. Siraj has been in rich vein of form and has dismantled bowling line-ups for fun across formats. He breathed fire in the recently culminated ODI series against Sri Lanka and picked up nine wickets in three games at an economy of 4.05. The ace pacer also displayed his bowling might in the Test series against Bangladesh, taking six wickets in two games at an average of 27.83. The team management would hope Siraj carries on the good work and weaves his magic in the forthcoming Test series against Australia.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023: India's Predicted Playing XI

India are all set to lock horns with Australia in the four-match Test series, starting February 9.

6. KS Bharat (wk)