Ravi Shastri picks Suryakumar Yadav in his Indian eleven for the Test series against Australia

The Indo-Australia rivalry has not failed to keep the cricket fans all across the globe hooked to their seats. From fans to pundits, they all want a piece of this iconic rivalry and make their voice heard over quite a span of time. The latest addition to the list of analysts who have already started talking about the upcoming blockbuster was Ravi Shastri, the former Indian coach who knows a thing or two about the surfaces in the sub-continent.

Currently, it is India and Australia who are occupying the top two spots and if things go according to India’s plan, it will be the same opponents crossing paths at the Oval to decide the fate of the second WTC. If India make the cut after what is going to be a sternum-rattling fray, they will become the first team to reach consecutive finals in the WTC.

A major discussion doing the rounds at the moment is what India's playing XI look like and the former Indian coach picked a weapon of his choice that he believes can help India instrumentally when the two titanic forces collide.

With Shreyas Iyer ruled out of the first Test, Ravi Shastri picked his middle order replacement. He said, “Suryakumar Yadav might get the opportunity in that Test match. And he’s going to play his natural game. I think he’s one player who will be proactive. Especially with Nathan Lyon or the other spinners, he will be looking to score all the time, looking to rotate the strike. If you want to do well in India, you have got to rotate the strike. You can’t have bowlers bowling maidens at you. You have got to find a way where you want to score, not think of just blocking, because that can create real problems for you.”

He further added, “So I think he will be very useful in that position. He might come and play a little cameo on a track that is spinning a lot, where a 30 or 40 could decide the fate of a game. And he can get it quickly and disrupt the opposition. So India will be thinking in that fashion there.”

SKY returned to red-ball cricket after a staggering wait of three years but was in intimidating form, amassing 223 runs at a strike rate of 95.70 in three games for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.