KL Rahul back as opener but will Rishabh Pant retain his spot? India’s likely XI as selection drama reaches fever pitch

Australia have been the more confident side in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, announcing each of playing XIs one day before the matches. Pat Cummins, on Thursday, revealed the line-up for the fifth and final Test match, slated to begin on Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground. But speculations around the Indian team reached a fever pitch on Thursday after head coach Gautam Gambhir's cagey pre-match presser.

India's selection dilemmas...

The biggest head-scratcher for India, heading into the final Test, where the side will aim to level the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, pertains to captain Rohit Sharma, on where he will bat in Sydney or whether he at all will feature in the XI. The 37-year-old scored just 164 runs across the last three series at a woeful average of just over 10, sparking calls to drop Rohit for the fifth Test, which could potentially mark the end of his career in the traditional format. Gambhir stayed tight-lipped on the possibility, saying the playing conditions in Sydney will dictate India's XI. But a report in The Indian Express on the eve of the match said that Rohit himself opted to be "rested" for the match.

The other dilemma pertains to Rishabh Pant position in the line-up. The India wicketkeeper-batter was predicted to be the game-changer for the team on the Australia tour, thus emulating his heroics from the 2020/21 series Down Under. But the left-hander manager just 154 runs in seven innings in the ongoing series at just 22, with no fifty-plus scores.

India will also have to worry about the bowling department with fast bowler Akash Deep reportedly injured, and whether they need an extra seamer to reduce the workload on Jasprit Bumrah, implying one between Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja will be benched.

India's likely XI vs Australia in Sydney

With Rohit reportedly set to be "rested," Shubman Gill, who missed out on the XI for the Melbourne Test owing to a specific combination India wanted, will return to No. 3, while KL Rahul will be back as an opener. This would also imply that Bumrah, who had led India to a massive win in Perth, will be the stand-in skipper in Sydney.

Gambhir will also likely rest Sundar and pick Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna for the final Test.

India's likely XI at SCG: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rishabh Pant(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna