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Here’s a look at India’s strongest playing XI for the five-match Test series against Australia, which is set to start on November 22 in Perth.
India’s strongest playing XI for 2024-25 edition of Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches. (Picture Credit: PTI)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s 18-member strong squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia on Friday (October 25). In the team picked for the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, Indian selectors included three uncapped players. Star pacer Mohammed Shami, who declared himself fit for the series, however, was ignored by the selectors along with India A captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and all-rounder Axar Patel, whereas Kuldeep Yadav was not available for selection.
India has won the last two Test series played in Australia, and under Rohit’s captaincy, the Indian team will be eager to complete the hat-trick of series wins this time around. India has picked as many as five pacers in the side and added one fast-bowling all-rounder in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy. The 21-year-old Andhra cricketer Reddy, who made his T20I debut earlier this month against Bangladesh in Gwalior, has played 22 First Class matches so far and has 403 runs to his name in addition to 14 wickets.
His inclusion will add strength to India’s pace attack as well as the batting unit. He is a capable batter, and he proved his worth during his 34-ball 74-run knock against Bangladesh in the second T20I, which was played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 9. In that match, he also picked up two wickets.
He has fast tracked to the side as India is in desperate need of a fast bowling all-rounder. He will be a key player for India in the upcoming five Tests Down Under, as apart from his batting at No. 7, he can be used as a fourth fast bowling option as well.
Captain Rohit, who is struggling with consistency these days, will open the innings in the Test series against Australia, and if he misses one of the matches due to personal reasons, as it was reported previously by news agency PTI, then Abhimanyu Easwaran will partner Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top. Bengal batter Easwaran, who has been in red-hot form these days, is picked in the Test squad as a backup opener.
Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli are set to be India’s No. 3 and 4 batters, and there will be a fight between KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan once again for the No. 5 batter position. Rahul pipped Sarfaraz for a spot in the Bangladesh series last month, but the 27-year-old batter was preferred over him in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand MCA Stadium in Pune.
Rishabh Pant will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter without a doubt, and if he is rested for a game or two as part of workload management, then Dhruv Jurel will come into the side.
If Nitish, who will play for the India A team in the two four-day matches against Australia A starting next week, manages to impress with his performance, then he will be India’s No. 7 batter in the series opener in Perth on November 22, 2024.
Jasprit Bumrah will lead India’s pace attack in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and his form will be key to India’s chances for a series win Down Under. He will be supported by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The inclusion of three pacers will leave India with the option of playing only one spinner, and looking at the current form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar with both bat and ball, it will be a difficult choice for the team management.
But if Sundar manages to continue his ace form with the ball in the next Test against New Zealand as well and contribute with the bat a bit more, then he will be the leading contender to play for India in the five-match Test series.
India’s strongest playing XI for Test series against Australia: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
