Rohit Sharma-led Team India will host Australia in a four-match Test series starting February 9. The series will kick off in Nagpur and culminate in Ahmedabad on March 13. The pitches in India aid spinners more and the slow bowlers are set to play a big role in deciding the result of the series. Both teams have four spinners in their ranks.
While R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are confirmed selections in the playing XI, there will be a toss-up between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. Three days before the series opener, former India opener Wasim Jaffer picked his playing XI and left out Axar. Jaffer, who is followed by more than 1 million users on Twitter, wrote that it was hard to leave out Axar.
Jaffer included both KL Rahul and Shubman Gill in his playing XI. It also meant there was no place for Suryakumar Yadav. He picked Rahul to open the innings with Rohit while Gill will bat in the middle-order. Rahul hasn’t been at his best with the bat of late and could also be dropped from the squad if he fails to score. Gill is in the form of his life and looks set to keep his spot.
Jaffer picked KS Bharat ahead of Ishan Kishan to do the wicketkeeping duties. Bharat has been part of the national setup for more than a year and is highly likely to make his Test debut in the series. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are two pacers in Jaffer’s playing XI. They have an edge over other pacers and look set to share the new ball.
India are confirmed to have a debutant in the first match of the series. The count can increase to two if Suryakumar is also handed his debut. Captain Rohit is expected to drop a hint regarding the playing XI during the pre-match presser on Wednesday (February 8).
