India will be looking to counterpunch Australia in the Boxing Day Test after the heavy beating they took in the series opener in Adelaide. And for that, the visitors have made wholesale changes to their playing XI, which was announced on Friday.
The changes include two debutants — opener Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja have also been named in the team for the second Test.
India will of course be missing regular captain Virat Kohli (on paternity leave) and speedster Mohammed Shami (fractured wrist). Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane undoubtedly faces a tall order.
Shubman’s inclusion was predictable after Prithvi Shaw’s flop show in Adelaide. It seems that the team management doesn’t have enough
faith in Shaw, dumping him after just one Test, and so one wonders why he was selected in the squad in the first place. In an ideal world, Shaw perhaps could have got one more chance.
Most of the experts pitched KL Rahul as a possible replacement for Kohli, while it was thought that Jadeja would take Hanuma Vihari’s place in the XI. But the Indian think-tank has chosen differently. Vihari keeps his place and Jadeja will step into the slot left vacant by Kohli. On paper, it appears to be a wise move. A fair one too as dropping Vihari, who got a hundred in the practice match, would have been harsh.
Besides being a smart left-arm spinner, Jadeja is capable of playing useful knocks in the lower-middle order. He is a top fielder too and maybe his presence would lift the spirits of his butter-fingered teamamtes on the field.
There would be debates on Pant’s selection over Wriddhiman Saha, but it has been obvious for quite some time that the team management considers the former’s batting abilities to be superior to that of the senior ’keeper.
“To a certain extent, Saha brings different things to the table. But with Jadeja back, it makes sense going for Pant as the batting too is strengthened with it, especially in Virat’s absence. Pant would be more confident too with the bat,” former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta told The Telegraph.
As Shami’s replacement, Siraj got the nod ahead of Navdeep Saini. One assumes Siraj’s greater exposure for India A gave him the edge over Saini. But India perhaps missed a trick by ignoring left-arm quick T. Natarajan. He could have been a surprise package for the Aussies and could have added variety to India’s bowling attack.
Talking about the selection process, Rahane on Friday said: “Each and every individual in this team is really capable of doing well, so it’s really a challenge for the captain and management to select the XI.”
The last time India played at the MCG, in 2018-19, they beat Australia comfortably to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This time, it’s more about survival.
