Team India playing 11 combinations in Perth: The first match of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia will be played in Perth from November 22, but in this Test, the Indian team is struggling on many fronts. I mean, there are a lot of questions about what will be the combination of the Indian team from openers to middle order and bowling. Indian team’s five-match Test series against Australia is important to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
After Rohit Sharma exits this Test match, the captaincy will be in the hands of Bumrah. In such a situation, Bumrah will have to exchange ideas with head coach Gautam Gambhir on what the playing XI will look like. Bumrah himself will have to think more about bowling.
The Optus Stadium pitch, which will host the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy test between the two teams, will offer “good bounce and pace” as the Perth pitch traditionally does. A few days before kick-off, Western Australia Cricket chief curator Isaac McDonald told ‘ESPNcricinfo’: “This is Australia, this is Perth… I’ve prepared myself for very good pace and very good bounce.” McDonald is trying to prepare the same kind of pitch that he prepared for the first Test against Pakistan in December last year.
In such a situation, if we pay attention to curator Isaac’s words, then the Indian team will play at least three pacers in this test match. That means apart from Bumrah himself, Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep are considered certain to play as the three favorite pacers. At the same time, it is also stated regarding this Test match that Nitish Reddy will get a chance in the team; If this happens, he will be the team’s fourth pacer option.
With the Perth pitch considered useful for fast bowlers, there is very little chance of both spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin getting a chance. On the other hand, in the last Test series against New Zealand, Washington Sundar, the right-arm bowler, came in late. He performed amazingly and took 16 wickets in 2 Test matches and also scored 89 runs with the bat. In such a situation, there is a possibility of Sundar getting preference. Sundar also has another advantage. He participated in the Australian tour last time. He is also impressive at batting. This time he also had a great performance in domestic cricket.
Rahul will be the opener with Yashasvi!
KL Rahul was injured by Prasidh Krishna’s ball during the practice match against India-A. But now the news about Rahul is that he has fully recovered. In such a situation, KL Rahul can open with Yashasvi Jaiswal. While the chances of Shubman Gill playing in the Perth Test are negligible. Because he has a fracture in his left thumb. In such a situation, he will now be able to play the second Test starting December 6 in Adelaide. Kohli, Sarfaraz and Rishabh Pant will be in the middle order.
Jurel will surely play, Pant will continue
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel impressed in the match against Australia A. He scored 80 and 68 runs in two innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In such a situation, he can play as a specialist batsman in the team. Former team India head coach Ravi Shastri has also defended this. Pant will be seen keeping wickets in the match.
Who will take over number 3?
In the absence of Rohit, the responsibility of opening the innings may fall on Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. In this challenging series, Virat Kohli would like to finish at fourth place. In this sequence, Virat scored 25 out of 29 centuries in his Test career. In such a situation, Sarfaraz Khan will have to take the number three spot. After this, Rishabh Pant can strengthen the Indian team at number 5.
India to play 11 for Perth Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Indian team for Australia tour: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (goalkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (goalkeeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj , Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Australia’s squad for the first test: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
Indian team tour of Australia (November 2024 – January 2025)
November 22-26: First Test, Perth
December 6-10: second test, Adelaide
December 14-18: Third Test, Brisbane
December 26-30: Fourth Test, Melbourne
January 3-7: Fifth Test, Sydney
