After the painful defeat against South Africa, Indian Test cricket has reached a turning point. The Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee is now reportedly preparing to make major changes to the batting order, especially at the all-important No. 3 position.
For almost three decades the number three spot in Tests was safely held by legends like Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara. But now, India’s crucial position has opened up and a fierce battle has begun after their 0-2 defeat at the hands of South Africa at home.
India ready to press reset button after South Africa defeat
Karun Nair was given a chance to make this position in England, but he failed to make his mark. Even Sai Sudarshan got 11 Test innings at number 3, but he also averaged only 27. His struggles on spin-friendly Indian pitches highlighted fundamental issues in his game.
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This made the Indian cricket team management and selectors realize that Test cricket is not the place to correct such mistakes when the stakes are very high. Therefore, they are now leaning towards proven domestic experts. It is being said that Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran are no longer in the race.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has emerged as a strong contender for the No. 3 spot as India eye a major Test rebuild
India’s domestic cricket stars Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh have been shortlisted for Test opportunities, PTI reports. Gaikwad has become the firm favourite. His first-class average is above 45 in 43 matches and he has already scored two centuries and one ninety-plus in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26.
The Chennai Super Kings captain’s leadership experience in the IPL and his calm approach make him a serious contender for the No. 3 role in India’s Test line-up. Patidar, on the other hand, despite a poor start in his first Test, remains a powerful domestic performer.
With an average above 45 in 74 first-class games, Patidar is likely to get his chance for India in Tests soon. Even Rinku Singh brings the most dramatic numbers. With a first-class average of nearly 60 in 52 games, the explosive batsman stands as one of India’s most consistent red-ball players.
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Ajit Agarkar comes to the rescue amid India’s Test crisis
His hunger and reliability can solve India’s middle-order woes. There is also excitement about young talents like Smaran Ravichandran, who has an impressive first-class average of 78, and Yash Rathod, who scored 960 runs in the last Ranji season. But he is being seen more as a future middle-order option.
PTI quoted a former Indian selector as saying, “People may blame Ajit and his committee for not selecting Abhimanyu and Sarfaraz, but do the head coach (Gautam Gambhir) and the new captain (Shubman Gill) have confidence in their abilities? If not, what will Ajit do alone?”
Nitish Kumar Reddy is not the future of India’s Test team
Meanwhile, the debate regarding all-rounders has intensified. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s Test average of 26 and limited bowling workload suggests he may not be the long-term answer. There is a growing feeling within the Indian camp that the team should go back to proper specialists instead of experimenting with small options.
“But Nitish Reddy is a bit of a temperamental guy. He can play at best in T20s, not even in ODIs, and Gowtham needs to understand that,” the former selector said.
He signed off by saying, “You would be a fool if you take every Gauthi statement at face value. If there is non-performance he can be cruel. Before you know it, you may see Sudarshan and Reddy falling by the wayside in 2026. He only supports the artistes.”
