Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 Indians who should be dropped for the third Test

Australia conclusively beat India by 146 runs at the WACA after losing a nail-biter at Adelaide in the first Test match. Batting first, Australia put up a formidable total of 326 on a tricky wicket which was covered by grass, but developed cracks as the game went on. India responded by falling 43 runs behind the Australian score.

Despite the Indian seamers bowling in good tandem and venom, Usman Khawaja batted exceptionally well in the second innings and helped Australia pose a target of 287 runs for India to chase in the second innings. India were unsuccessful in this run chase partly due to the uneven bounce on the pitch and failure on the part of their openers to provide a good start in either of the two innings.

Hence, the team management needs to take some tough calls for the third Test and drop some players who have failed miserably in the first two Test matches. Let us have a look at the three Indians who might not find a place in the side for the third Test.

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#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul

KL Rahul has been in woeful form despite being offered numerous chances to cement his place as an opener. Except for his century in the last test at Oval in the final Test match of the English tour, Rahul has had a series of disastrous performances in overseas conditions so far this year. During the 44 runs scored by him in the second innings of the first Test, KL Rahul was hitting the ball like a tailender and just swung the bat at everything.

In the four innings so far, Rahul has just managed to score 48 runs at an average of 12.00. Hence, these figures indicate that Rahul should get the axe in the third Test. With Prithvi Shaw injured and out of the series, Rohit Sharma should be tried as an opener or Cheteshwar Pujara should be promoted to open the innings in the next game.

#2 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav was picked in the second Test match at Perth as a replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin and due to a green track offered for the game. Despite picking up two wickets in the first innings, Umesh was quite expensive and inaccurate in his line and length in the second innings. He conceded 61 runs in 14 overs at an economy rate of 4.36 and didn't pick up a single wicket. With Nathan Lyon picking up five wickets in the first innings, it was a fatal error of not selecting a spinner in the line-up to replace Ashwin.

Hence, it is expected from India to drop Umesh Yadav in the third Test and replace him with either Ashwin if he is fit or Ravindra Jadeja.

#1 Murali Vijay

Australia v India - 2nd Test: Day 4

Murali Vijay has proved to be a disappointment for India so far in his comeback tour. Having been sent back to India after failing in the first two Test matches in England, Vijay was selected for the Test series 'Down Under' due to his impressive performances on a trot for his county team Essex.

Despite this, Vijay continued his poor international form with a string of low scores in the two games so far. He has managed to score just 49 runs in four innings at an unimpressive average of 12.25 and has looked quite tentative against the Australian fast bowlers.

Hence, due to his poor form, Vijay should be dropped in favour of Mayank Agarwal who has been sent to Australia for the remaining matches in the series and has been in great shape in the domestic circuit this year.