Will India retain the playing XI or give KL Rahul a chance in the final New Zealand Test? | Cricket News

KL Rahul during a practice session ahead of their third Test match against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Image: PTI

NEW DELHI: As Team India prepare for the third and final Test against New Zealand, there is speculation about whether they will retain their playing XI or give KL Rahul a chance in the line-up.
Rahul could be brought in the mix due to his experience and past performances. If the team management decides to make changes, it could be a strategic move to boost the batting following their recent series loss.
But the bigger question is who would chief coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma ‘drop’ to make way for Rahul in the final XI.
Rahul had a terrible outing in the first Test as he was one of the five batters who got dismissed for a duck in the first innings as India were folded for 46, their third lowest total in Tests. Rahul managed just 12 in the next innings.
Washington Sundar, who was included in the second Test, attained a major milestone in his Test career, securing his first 10-wicket haul against New Zealand. Having missed the first Test, Sundar made a powerful comeback in the second, claiming seven wickets in the first innings and three in the second.
The only realistic way to bring Rahul into the lineup would be if Team India gets a rank turner for the Mumbai Test, allowing them to field only one seamer, Jasprit Bumrah, and drop Akash Deep, who struggled in the Pune Test. However, this scenario seems highly unlikely, as the team management would be reluctant to take such a gamble based on these conditions.
The decision will solely depend on the team’s strategy and pitch conditions at Wankhede with the final Test scheduled to start on Friday.
However, tinkering with the playing XI might also backfire as India don’t want to go to Australia, on the back of three straight Test losses, that too at home, for the high-profile five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
New Zealand achieved a historic 113-run victory in Pune, ending India’s 12-year unbeaten home Test series streak and securing their first-ever Test series win on Indian soil.
The defeat not only brought an end to India’s 18-series home winning streak but also put their qualification for next year’s ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at risk. India’s lead in the WTC standings narrowed to just 0.32 PCT, leaving them needing four wins from the remaining six Tests in this cycle — five of which will be challenging away matches against Australia.