Playing 11 and toss updates for the India vs Australia 2nd Test match
Australia skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat first, with the iconic Boxing Day Test set to begin at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from 5:00 AM IST.
Team India had already announced their playing 11 for the Boxing Day Test match. The Indian cricket team, which will be led by Ajinkya Rahane in Virat Kohli’s absence has made a total of 4 changes to the side. Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj are in line for their Test debuts.
Ravindra Jadeja is back in the side after regaining his fitness, while Rishabh Pant has replaced Wriddhiman Saha as the team’s wicketkeeper. While the two absentees in Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami were enforced, opener Prithvi Shaw has also been dropped after struggling in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide.
Australia have gone with an unchanged line-up, just like coach Justin Langer had suggested earlier. In the absence of openers, David Warner and Will Pucovski, Matthew Wade and Joe Burns continue to open the batting for the home side. Travis Head has kept his place despite being under fire in recent weeks. The rest of the side remains the same as well, and the home side will be looking to back up their impressive performance from Adelaide.
The Australian side comes into the Boxing Day Test with their tails up. Tim Paine’s men won the 1st India vs Australia Test by 8 wickets, and lead the 4-match series 1-0. The Indian cricket team will be hoping to bounce back and win the Boxing Day Test, just like it did the last time they toured the country in 2018-19.
Team India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohd. Siraj.
Australia Test Squad: Tim Paine (Captain, wicket-keeper), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Moises Henriques, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner.
India vs Australia 2nd Test: Who won the toss today?
Australia won the toss and chose to bat first in the 2nd Test
What is the playing 11 for today’s India vs Australia match?
India’s playing 11: Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Australia’s playing 11: Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c&wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon