IND Vs ENG: 'Shubman Gill Should Carry His Form In Rajkot Test And Beyond,' Says MSK Prasad

Rohit Sharma-led Indian Cricket Team is set to take on Ben Stokes' England in the third Test of the five-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, rechristened Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium, in Rajkot.

The match, starting Thursday (February 15), will bring both teams into action after a hiatus of 10 days. England - who won the opening Test to go 1-nil up in the series - have made one change to their playing eleven from the Visakhapatnam Test, which they lost by 109 runs.

Mark Wood has replaced young spinner Shoaib Bashir in the playing eleven and will be sharing the fast-bowling duties with senior pro James Anderson in Rajkot. England will step out with two pacers for the first time in the series.

India will unveil their playing eleven at the toss on match day but experts are confident over the comeback of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, the local boy. However, the batting performance of India in the first two test matches of the five-match series against England has fallen short of expectations.

The standout individual displays by young Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in the second Test provided a glimmer of hope amidst an otherwise lacklustre effort from the batting lineup.

'Always good to debut against a quality side,' MSK Prasad on potential India debutants Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel in Rajkot Test

Former India cricketer and ex-chairman of selectors MSK Prasad believes Gill's match-winning century under pressure in the second innings in the Vizag Test will give India's new number three a lot of confidence and he should look to carry his form in the remaining games.

"Gill is too good as a player; he has performed in all conditions. Of course, he went through a rough patch in Test Cricket, but now he's back in form. I think he should carry his form, and it's very important when things are not going your way. These kinds of performances help him to stay in the team. It's important when you are in form to make it big," Prasad told myKhel, Oneindia's sports domain.

Speaking on the return of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja - who missed the second Test due to injury - the former India wicketkeeper-batter termed it a great sign for the team that wants to go 2-1 up in the series.

"Great news. We felt short of experience in the spin department in the last match. Someone like Jadeja, who can contribute to all three departments, comes back into the team. It's a wonderful and welcome sign."