New Delhi: Team India will face Australia in the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22. Rohit Sharma will miss the first Test and Shubman Gill is also ruled out of the opening encounter due to injury. There will be changes in India’s playing XI for the first Test.
The Men in Blue need to win at least three matches to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship. Here’s how India’s playing XI is shaping up for the first Test of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Top Order
In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, KL Rahul is likely to open for India. The Indian batter who struggled to score runs in the recent series, kept himself busy in the nets and focused on his defence. Gill’s last-minute injury caused problems for the team management and Padikkal will replace in the playing XI. He did well against Australia A in the first unofficial Test, scoring 124 runs off 276 balls across two innings at No.4.
Abhimanyu Easwaran scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket but he has struggled to score runs in the Australian conditions and looked uncomfortable against the extra bounce and pace on offer on these surfaces.
Jurel to bat at No.6, Nitish Reddy to debut
Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant will bat at No.4 and 5 which leaves only one spot up for grabs in the middle order. Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel are the two contenders for the No.6 spot. But Jurel is likely to be included in the playing XI. He has batted well in the nets and played some great shots. Jurel scored two fifties against Australia A in the second unofficial Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Team India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel spent most of his time with Nitish Reddy during practice. Team management will be looking at Reddy to strengthen India’s batting and also give them a bowling option on the Australian conditions. As per reports, Ashwin will play as a lone spinner in the Perth Test because of the three left-handers in Australia’s XI. Jadeja didn’t bowl in the nets at Optus Stadium but he batted for a very long time.
Who will partner Jasprit Bumrah?
Harshit Rana bowled brilliantly in the match simulation settings at WACA. He doesn’t have a lot of first-class experience behind him but he has impressed Gambhir and his staff with consistent length and pace. Mohammed Siraj was India’s one of best performers on the last Australia tour while Akash Deep has also done exceptionally well in the opportunities he got. Prasidh Krishna also did well in the match simulation. As per reports Harshit Rana and Akash Deep to partner Bumrah in the first Test. The Optus Stadium pitch has the same clay as the WACA’s and it’s going to offer a lot of pace and bounce. India are trying to prepare their playing XI to suit those conditions.
Australia and India are set to clash in a highly anticipated five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting November 22 in Perth. The Men in Blue will be aiming for a third consecutive series victory. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
