India vs Australia: Saha, Shaw, Umesh included as India announce playing XI for 1st Test
India vs Australia: Saha, Shaw, Umesh included as India announce playing XI for 1st Test
Wridhhiman Saha was picked ahead of Rishabh Pant as India announced their playing XI for the first Test against Australia, starting on Thursday in Adelaide.
There had been several debates over India's openers, a wicketkeeper, and the third pacer to join Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in the bowling attack for the pink-ball Test. The release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday revealed that Prithvi Shaw would open with Mayank Agarwal in the opening Test of the four-match series.
Pant was not picked even though he produced an impressive 73-ball 101 in the pink ball practice match against Australia A at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) last week. However, he had not featured in the first tour game. On the other hand, Saha, who played both the practice matches, scored two ducks, along with an unbeaten half-century that came in the opening tour game.
Instead of giving a debut to either Mohammad Siraj or Navdeep Saini, Team India went with Umesh Yadav, who has played eight Tests Down Under in the past. Ravichandran Ashwin was picked as the only spin specialist for the match at the Adelaide Oval that is going to be India's first day-night Test fixture overseas.
UPDATE🚨: Here's #TeamIndia's playing XI for the first Border-Gavaskar Test against Australia starting tomorrow in Adelaide. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/WbVRWrhqwi
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 16, 2020
India has a rich middle-order in Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Hanuma Vihari.
Kohli, who has scored three centuries at the Adelaide Oval in the past, will return home after the first Test to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. In his absence, his deputy in the longest format, Rahane, will lead the Indian team in the remaining Test. Kohli is confident the Mumbai cricketer will do a "tremendous job".
"Ajinkya and I are on the same page and I'm sure he'll do a tremendous job in my absence," Kohli said in a virtual press conference on the eve of the first Test in Australia.
'Ajinkya and I are on the same page and I'm sure he'll do a tremendous job in my absence,' says #TeamIndia Skipper @imVkohli on the eve of the first Test against Australia.#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/S8fmUABfUC
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 16, 2020
The last time India toured Australia, Kohli had become the first Indian skipper to secure a Test series win Down Under. Overall, he was also the first captain from Asia to attain the milestone.
The final three Tests of the ongoing 2020-21 tour will be played in Melbourne (Dec. 26-30), Sydney (Jan. 7-11), and Brisbane (Jan. 15-19).
India's Playing XI for 1st Test vs Australia: Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah