IND vs AUS Dream11 Team Prediction (3rd Test): 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today's match - Jan 7th, 2021

Australia will take on India in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the SCG on Thursday. With the series tied at 1-1, fans can expect a spirited performance from both teams as they try to ensure the other doesn't take a 2-1 lead ahead of the 4th Test.

India recorded a superb win in the second Test in response to their 36-run collapse in the first Test. In Virat Kohli's absence, skipper Ajinkya Rahane made a stunning century in the first innings and was ably supported by the bowlers and some good all-round performances from players like Ravindra Jadeja. The team, however, will be without Umesh Yadav, with T Natarajan named as his replacement.

Australia will welcome the return of David Warner, and possibly, Will Pucovski, with Joe Burns getting dropped from the team. Warner's return should add some steel to their batting, given that their top order hasn't contributed much all series. The Aussies will also expect star man Steve Smith to step up and deliver in this crunch game.

On that note, let's now look at three players you can pick as the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 3rd Test between India and Australia.

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#3 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja.

Ravindra Jadeja justified his inclusion in India's playing XI for the 2nd Test with a solid performance with both the bat and the ball. He made a half-century in the first innings and built a crucial 121-run stand for the sixth wicket, which enabled India to take a sizeable lead after the first innings.

Jadeja also picked up three wickets in the limited bowling opportunities that he received. With the wicket at Sydney likely to turn a lot, Jadeja should get more of the ball along with Ravichandran Ashwin. His bowling stats, coupled with his solid batting, makes him a decent option to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team.

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#2 Steve Smith

Ashwin has had the better of Smith this series.

Steve Smith will be determined to shrug off the failures of the first two Tests and deliver the goods for his team in this crunch game. He moved down to the third spot in the ICC Test Rankings, and he will hope that his performance will help him regain his spot.

Smith has been very circumspect with his batting early on in his innings and has struggled to get off the mark. However, a player of his quality isn't likely to perform poorly in three consecutive games. With Warner returning at the top of the order, Smith will also have a better platform to bat on. He's certainly a good option to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team.

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#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin has been brilliant in the Test series.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of India's best performers in this series, and on a spinning track in Sydney, he should add to his wickets tally. With ten wickets from two matches, Ashwin has the joint-most number of wickets along with Pat Cummins. He has been exceptional with his line, length, and subtle variations of pace.

Ashwin has also extracted quite a bit of turn in these two games, and that makes him even more of a threat at Sydney. He has also been scoring some useful runs with the bat. While he's not a proper all-rounder, Ashwin's high ceiling for points makes him a good option to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team.