IND vs ENG 3rd Test: A "Kohliless" India to take on England in Rajkot

Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli (Pic: AFP)

The five-match test series between India and England is now levelled at 1-1 after the hosts' stunning show in the Vizag test. The IND vs ENG 3rd Test will be played in Rajkot, starting on February 15.

Team India's prolific batsman Virat Kohli who opted out of the first two test matches due to personal reasons will continue to miss the remainder of the test series. The hosts will miss the services of Kohli in the IND vs ENG 3rd Test.

Also Read: Aussies a Deja Vu for Indians

In the first test match, the clear void of the star Indian batsman was visible in India's batting lineup. Most of the Indian batters struggled to score runs against England's spinners. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja's knock proved to be valuable for the side as they managed to put on 436 on the board in their first innings. However, the hosts faced a defeat against Ben Stokes-led England by 28 runs.

In the second test, Yashasvi Jaiswal's heroics and Shubman Gill's comeback century helped India dominate over the English men. Jasprit Bumrah carried his responsibility with the ball. He struck six in the first and three wickets in the second innings. India won the match by 106 runs.

Under fire, Shreyas Iyer failed to make an impact in the first two test matches. He has been ruled out of the remainder of the series as he has sustained back stiffness and groin injury.

Also Read: ‘Thrice' as bad!

Rajat Patidar who was picked as Virat Kohli's replacement is yet to put on a big show with the willow. Among the active players, Kohli is the only Indian in the top five India-England tests to score the most runs.

Featuring 28 matches for India, the right-hander has amassed 1,991 runs including five centuries and nine half-centuries against England. No batsman has been able to fill in Kohli's shoes.

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja who missed the second clash due to injuries have returned to the squad for the IND vs ENG 3rd Test. But their inclusion in the playing XI will be subject to allowance from BCCI's medical team.

Will Team India struggle without Virat Kohli in the IND vs ENG 3rd Test? or Rohit and Co. will pull the sheets in their favour for the remaining tests?

IND vs ENG 3rd Test squad:

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul', Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja', Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.