India vs Australia, 3rd Test: Best Combined XI

After a thumping victory in the Bangalore Test India and Australia hit with injuries, India were the firm favorites to walk away with a win in Ranchi. However, that was not the case. Australia won a good toss on a pitch that offered the batters more than expected. Steve Smith did a wonderful job and batted for the whole Australian innings. Pat Cummins was included in the side, playing the longest format of the game after almost six years. He played his heart out and was the best bowler on the pitch. While Indians were also at it in the third Test. They smacked the Australian bowlers for a massive 603. Australian bowlers toiled hard and O’Keefe was the bowler who worked the hardest of all. There good performances from the players from both the sides. We have taken the best players from the two sides and have formed a combined eleven. Here is how the combined 11 of India and Australia looks, based on the performances in the third Test. #1) KL Rahul KL Rahul. (Photo Source: BCCI) Lokesh Rahul has been a consistent performer for India throughout the series. He scored a fifty in Pune and followed it up with two half-centuries in both innings in Bangalore. This form of his continued as he scored another fifty in the only first innings. Rahul batted beautifully with Vijay and ensured that India were off to a good start. Getting closer to the humongous Australian target was not easy as the pitch was deteriorating rather quickly. Rahul scored 67 runs of the 90 run partnership and ensured that India were in a good position. He was undone by a superb delivery from Pat Cummins. #2) Murali Vijay Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: Twitter) Murali Vijay missed the Bangalore Test due to injury and was awful in the first Test in Pune. He was itching to do well for his team as there are other talented guys waiting in the wings to take his place. Vijay did exactly what was needed. He scored a brilliant half century as he partnered with Pujara to take India further close to the target. The man from Chennai scored a patient 82. He played 182 deliveries and threw his wicket away. He and Pujara added a crucial 102 run partnership for India. There was a century waiting for him around the corner but O’Keefe had some other ideas. #3) Steve Smith (c) Steve Smith. (Photo Source: BCCI) Smith has been outstanding for Australia. He was the only man to score a century until Pujara batted out of his skin. He has also captained the Australian team well. Smith was terrific in Pune even after getting multiple lifelines. He couldn’t do much in Bangalore but was up for a challenge in Ranchi. The Indians were unable to get him out. The Australian star batted with patience and vigor as he smashed the Indians for a brilliant 178. He played 361 deliveries for the same. In the second innings he left a certain ball alone and paid the price for it but his performance in the first innings is enough to book a seat in our combined eleven. #4) Cheteshwar Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: BCCI) It would be criminal of us to not add this man to the team. He was exceptional for India and single-handedly with some help from Saha took India past the Australian total. The man from Rajkot batted for 668 minutes playing a total of 525 balls and scoring 202 runs in the process. He has performed well enough in the series. Making a crucial 92 in the second innings in Bangalore and laying the foundation for the bowlers India are in debt of this man. Pujara’s patience was the key to India’s strong reply in the Ranchi Test. No one else deserves more to be on this team than this man. #5) Peter Handscomb Peter Handscomb of Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) Handscomb has got starts in all of his previous innings on the tour but was brilliant at catching in the first the test as well. Everyone is aware of the talent this young man possesses. Totally unaware of the situation he bats according to himself and never lets the opposition get to his head. If it was not for Handscomb, India would have won the game. He was key in Australia’s hard earned draw which kept them alive in the series. The 25-year-old scored a fighting 72 to take Australia out of India’s reach. He remained not out as the Ranchi Test ended in a very well-contested draw. #6) Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: BCCI) Maxwell came as a surprise for India. His inclusion was not as surprising as his performance. He played extremely well to showcase his talents. Having debuted earlier he will still be the find of the tour for Australia. The hard hitter found new gears in his batting. Playing with patience and trusting his defense was the key to his 104 run innings. He partnered with his captain as India had to toil hard to get this man out. Maxwell will enjoy the newfound strategy of his and will look to work more on it. Though the second inning didn’t go according to plan for him he still has done better than most to get into this team. #7) Wriddhiman Saha (wk) Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: BCCI) There were a lot of questions raised when Saha failed to perform with his bat in the first two test. Coming fresh from a double hundred in Irani trophy and a century against miserly Bangladesh, Saha was not able to apply himself against the Aussies. He proved everyone wrong when during the third Test. He and Pujara scripted a 199 run partnership which not only saw India take a massive 151 run lead but also saw Saha score a memorable Test century. Saha batted for three of the toughest sessions to ensure India’s dominance. His wicket-keeping can never be in question as he did perfectly fine in both the Australian innings. #8) Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI) Jadeja was bowling extremely well throughout the series. He grabbed eight wickets in the Bangalore Test with a six-for in the first innings. He was magnificent in the third Test as he was able to snatch another five-for. The Saurashtra-lad pipped Ashwin to gain the world number one spot as a bowler. This season has seen him take 67 wickets and it is the most by any bowler. The left armer also scored a quickfire fifty which helped India get their lead past 150. #9) Pat Cummins Pat Cummins. (Photo Source: BCCI) Cummins was called up as a replacement for the World Class Mitchell Starc. No one expected Cummins to do this well. Playing the longest format of the game after almost six years, Cummins was supposed to be the weak link for Australia. It proved to be exactly opposite as he picked four of the most important Indian wickets. One of them was the wicket of the injured Indian skipper. He bowled bouncers after bouncers and surprised the batter with a sudden full-length delivery. However, his batting performance was not up to the mark. #10) Umesh Yadav Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI) Yadav picked up four wickets in the Pune where the pitch was a spinner’s paradise. He reversed the ball beautifully and picked up two important wickets in Bangalore to ensure India’s win. The third Test also saw him ball equally well. This Indian speedster bowled extremely well in the first innings and was rewarded with a three-for. The reverse swing has been his weapon throughout the series and he is using it to good effect. Yadav has been the go-to bowler for India when a partnership starts to build. He is also handy with the bat and has a good defensive technique. #11) Steve O’Keefe Australia’s Steve O’Keeffe. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) O’Keefe was brilliant in Pune as he proved to be the match-winner for Australia. Since then it has been barren land for him. India have been able to tackle him and also have managed to score runs off him with ease but that was not the case in this Test. O’Keefe however, was used the most by Smith during the Indian innings. He bowled a total of 77 overs in one innings and earned three wickets. But his effort and tireless bowling was worth a praise and his tight bowling made sure India were not able to score easily during their innings.

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