After leveling the series in Visakhapatnam, a revitalized Indian team gears up to face England in the third Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot starting Thursday, February 15. The five-match series is currently levelled at 1-1. England won the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs, while India emerged victorious in the second Test in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs.

India's Predicted XI for the 3rd Test

Despite missing key players in the previous match, India's morale gets a boost from their performance against the Ben Stokes-led England side, particularly after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah's dominance in Vizag.

With KL Rahul ruled out for another match, domestic powerhouse Sarfaraz Khan is poised to make his Test debut in the third Test. Sarfaraz, alongside Shubman Gill and Rajat Patidar, is expected to form a fresh middle-order lineup for India in the absence of Virat Kohli.

The Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel is in contention to make his Test debut, despite having played only 15 First-Class matches. Jurel is likely to assume the wicketkeeping duties, displacing KS Bharat. 

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KS Bharat's recent batting performances have been lackluster, tallying just 92 runs from four innings, despite his proficient wicketkeeping skills. Kuldeep Yadav will most probably be picked ahead of Axar Patel for the Rajkot Test, while R Ashwin is expected to keep his spot intact.

Mohammed Siraj is likely to return to the playing XI for the 3rd Test after a break from the sport.

India's predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Mohammed Siraj.

England have announced their lineup for the third Test against India, scheduled to commence in Rajkot on Thursday. The team has made a solitary change, with Mark Wood coming in to replace Shoaib Bashir.

This match marks a significant milestone for England captain Ben Stokes, who is poised to make his 100th Test appearance in Rajkot.

England's playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson