Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan. (Image-Twitter.)

Ahead of the third Test match against India, former England captain, Michael Vaughan reckons the visitors should make 5 changes in their eleven which conceded a 317-run loss in the second Test in Chennai. The third Test of the series which stands level at 1-1 will be played in Ahmedabad; it is a day-night contest to be played with the pink ball.

Michael Vaughan says that Joe Root needs to drop Rory Burns after the left-hander’s dismal returns in the first two Test – and replace Burns with Zak Crawley, who missed the first half of the series owing to an injury. The 46-year-old asserts that bringing in Crawley will also, to an extent, negate the threat of R Ashwin to the left-handed Burns.

 Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley. Image-Twitter.

“I would pick Crawley instead of Burns because [Ravichandran] Ashwin loves bowling at left-handers, and I want to pack that top-four with right-handers; I want four right-handers at the top of the order to try and nullify Ashwin. He’s brilliant against both, but he has left-handers on toast. So I would go with Crawley instead of Burns at the top of the order,” Michael Vaughan said on the Tuffers and Vaughan podcast.

Vaughan is also nigh-certain that Jonny Bairstow, who was rested from the first two Tests, will slot in for Daniel Lawrence at number 3.

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Archer and Anderson can play together and Broad to be dropped: Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan says that if Jofra Archer is fit, after missing the second Test match due to a shoulder injury, he should slot in straight for Olly Stone and James Anderson, who bowled magnificently in the first Test, will replace Stuart Broad for the third Test.

Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer. Image Credits: Twitter

Also, it is all but confirmed that Dom Bess will come back in the eleven after being dropped for Moeen Ali, who has now returned back home for a rest. Bess bowled well in the first Test, and also got the wicket of Indian skipper, Virat Kohli.

“I think Jofra Archer plays if he’s fit. If he’s ready to bowl with the venom he did in the first Test, he plays because England needs that point of difference. Olly Stone bowled really well, too, so he could also come into the equation,” Vaughan added.

England needs to win both the remaining matches to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship to face New Zealand.

Michael Vaughan’s England team for the third Test:

Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wk), Dom Bess, Jack Leach, Jofra Archer, James Anderson.

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