Injuries have forced India to make changes to their winning combination. With Murali Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha returning home, the visitors are likely to field a new combination.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com names India's likely 11 for the final Test, starting Friday, August 28.
Disagree with Harish's choices? Then help Virat pick his team. Be the selector, choose your playing 11 for the series decider.
Following the crushing 278-run victory in the second Test in Colombo on Monday, August 24, India goes into the third and final game against Sri Lanka high on confidence, aiming to win their first series in the island nation in 22 years.
A mediocre session on Day 4 cost India the first Test in Galle. Set a mere 176 runs for victory, they lost by 63 runs.
Virat Kohli's team bounced back in some style in the next match, at the P Sara Oval, outclassing the Lankans in all departments of the game to level the series and also deny batting great Kumar Sangakkara a winning farewell.
K L Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane scored centuries in the first and second innings respectively, while Ravichandran Ashwin continued his golden run with the ball, taking seven wickets, including 5/42 in the second essay.
The team was hit by a spate of injuries and opener Murali Vijay, who stroked 82, and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who hit successive half-centuries in the first two Tests, were ruled out of the final Test.
Karnataka youngster Karun Nair, a surprise call-up, will replace Vijay and Madhya Pradesh's Naman Ojha will do duty behind the stumps.
Kohli indicated that Cheteshwar Pujara, who failed to make it to the team for the first two Tests, will get a look in and may open with Rahul.
'We can have Cheteshwar Pujara open. He is pretty solid, and with the new ball he has opened in the subcontinent before,' Kohli said after the second Test, adding, 'I remember a couple of Tests where he has opened for India.'
Rahane's superb century (126) at No 3, and Rohit Sharma getting some runs down the order -- a fluent 79 at No 5 -- appears to have settled the dust on that all-important batting slot for the time being.
While India's batting line-up is pretty much settled, it remains to be seen whether they will continue with five bowlers.
Harbhajan Singh was dropped after the first Test and made way for all-rounder Stuart Binny. Binny failed to make a noteworthy contribution with bat and ball and it will be interesting to see if he is replaced by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who can be more effective with the ball and is also handy with the bat.
Or will Harbhajan return as the third spinner if the pitch shows signs of favouring slow bowlers.
While the fifth bowler provides Kohli allows the skipper to rotate his bowlers, especially if the pitch is not doing much, one of the bowlers in a five-bowler attack could end up being underutilised.
Should Binny be given another chance? Or should Harbhajan return for the all-important third Test?.
Barring injuries, I feel this could be India's line-up for the third Test against Sri Lanka:
1. Cheteshwar Pujara 2. K L Rahul 3. Ajinkya Rahane 4. Virat Kohli (captain) 5. Rohit Sharma 6. Naman Ojha (wicket-keeper) 7. Ravichandran Ashwin 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9. Amit Mishra 10. Ishant Sharma 11. Umesh Yadav
Disagree? Then, help Virat pick his team. Be the selector, pick your playing 11 for the third Test.
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