India's predicted playing XI for the 1st Test vs Australia
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is all set to take centerstage on Thursday, February 9 as India and Australia lock horns in the first of four Tests in Nagpur.
The hosts have several decisions to make ahead of the first Test. Without Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, their middle looks rather underwhelming. India have a plethora of options in the spin and pace departments, and the team management has a problem of plenty.
India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.
Here is India's predicted playing XI for the first Test against Australia.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma, as the captain and most dependable opener, will be one of the players to watch out for in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His partner, though, is still up in the air.
Shubman Gill has only batted in the top order in Test cricket and is in red-hot form. KL Rahul, meanwhile, has partnered Rohit recently but had a disappointing year at the top of the order and might be better-suited to a middle-order role. In fact, had he not been the vice-captain, Rahul's place in the side might have been under question.
India might just stick with Rahul, who had a productive outing against Australia the last time he faced them in a home Test series. He said in a press conference ahead of the first Test that he doesn't mind moving to No. 5, but should be penciled in at the top.
Middle Order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KS Bharat (wk)
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have manned Nos. 3 and 4 for almost a decade now, and they will be the rocks of the Indian batting lineup once again. Kohli's game against spin has become miserable, and the duo's battle against Nathan Lyon will be one of the major talking points of the upcoming series.
With Shreyas ruled out of the first Test, India will have to find a reliable middle-order batter. Will they move Gill into the middle order or hand Suryakumar Yadav his maiden Test cap? This one could go either way, but the former might just be the better option. He's an excellent player of spin, has the ability to notch up big scores and has plundered runs across formats lately.
The wicket-keeper's spot is up for grabs too, but this one might be a more straightforward decision. KS Bharat has been around the Test setup longer and should be preferred ahead of Ishan Kishan. Bharat is likely to bat at No. 7, with the hosts primed to field Ravindra Jadeja and either Gill or Suryakumar at Nos. 5 and 6.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel
India's all-rounders are virtually undroppable. Not much needs to be said about their inclusion, although a school of thought believes that Kuldeep Yadav could pip Axar Patel to a spot in the playing XI.
Axar's home record speaks for itself, though, and Australia will need to be at their absolute best to counter India's spin trio. Ashwin will be licking his lips at the sight of so many left-handers, while Jadeja will take heart from his promising Ranji Trophy outing against Tamil Nadu on his return from injury.
Bowlers: Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Nagpur is generally a turning track, but India are unlikely to go in with four spinners. So two of Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat are in line to be part of the side for the first Test.
It's easy to make the case for Unadkat's exclusion. He is the least experienced of the lot at the international level and India wouldn't want to create a rough for Lyon by fielding a left-armer. With the others, though, it isn't as straightforward.
It would be extremely harsh to drop Umesh Yadav after his recent home exploits, but Siraj is coming into his own as an all-format bowler. The Hyderabad-born seamer appears to complement Shami well and the duo could spearhead the pace charge in the series opener.