Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana make debut for India ...
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana are making their debuts for India as they have been named in the playing XI for the first Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the Optus Stadium, Perth. Washington Sundar has been chosen as the lone-spinner in the lineup, and the 25-year-old is playing ahead of both the experienced pros Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
KL Rahul will be opening the batting in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who is missing the Test, after recently welcoming his second child with wife Ritika Sajdeh.
Shubman Gill recently suffered a fracture on his left thumb while fielding at slips during match simulation against India A in Perth. As a result, he is missing the Perth Test, and in his place, Devdutt Paddikal has been chosen to bat at No.3.
Devdutt Paddikal was not a part of the initial squad, and at the last moment, he was asked to stay back in Australia, after having previously played for India A against Australia A. Dhruv Jurel, who scored 80 and 68 against Australia A in the second unofficial Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, has also gotten the nod ahead of Sarfaraz Khan in the middle-order.
Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the pace attack, and will have support in the form of Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana. Nitish Kumar Reddy is also expected to chip in with a few overs.
What is Australia playing XI?Australia will have Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja opening the batting. Steve Smith is back at his tried and tested No.4 spot. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc will be leading the pace attack while all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will chip in with a few overs.
Nathan Lyon, who has 536 Test scalps to his name, is the lone spinner in the lineup.
It was India captain Jasprit Bumrah who won the toss and opted to bat first at the Optus Stadium, Perth. The pitch is expected to offer quite a bit of pace and bounce, and the batters from both the sides are expected to have their task cut out.
At the time of the toss, Bumrah said, “We are going to bat first, looks like a good wicket. Very confident with our preparation. We played a Test match here in 2018 so we know what to expect. The wicket gets quicker. Nitish makes his debut. We have 4 quicks and Washi is the lone spinner.”
On the other hand, Cummins said, “We were 50-50, either way we are pretty happy. Feel well placed, pretty fresh. Any format we (India-Australia) play seems fiercely fought. Nathan McSweeney makes our debut at the top of the order.”
India playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Mohammed Siraj.
Australia playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
