"Finally justice served" - Fans react as Shubman Gill replaces KL Rahul in India's playing XI for 3rd Test vs Australia

Shubman Gill has replaced KL Rahul in India's playing XI for the third Test against Australia, scheduled to be played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, starting on Wednesday, March 1.

There were cries from various sections for Gill's inclusion after Rahul failed to get going in the first two Tests of the series, aggregating only 38 runs.

While skipper Rohit Sharma backed Rahul to retain his place in the side in the pre-match press conference, training sessions indicated otherwise. Shubman Gill was given an extended run on the first day of the net session and was also seen grilling hard on the optional training.

The Punjab-born cricketer was seen doing some drills at the forward short-leg with fielding coach T Dilip.

Fans were certainly happy to see Gill in the playing XI, who has been India's highest run-scorer so far in 2023. Many wished that the youngster plays a big knock and cement his place in the red-ball side.

Here are some of the reactions:

Meanwhile, India made two changes in their playing XI. Along with dropping out-of-form KL Rahul, the home side rested Mohammed Shami for the Indore Test. Umesh Yadav, who waited on the sidelines, has made it into the playing XI. The senior pacer will pair up with Mohammed Siraj to lead the pace attack.

Australia, meanwhile, also made two forced changes to their playing XI. Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc replaced David Warner and Pat Cummins, respectively.

Rohit won the toss and decided to bat first at the Holkar Cricket Stadium as they look to take a 3-0 lead in the four-match series.

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India and Australia Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, and Matthew Kuhnemann.