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Rohit And Gill Out, Harshit To Debut; India's Potential XI Explained For 1st Test vs Australia

Debashis Sarangi

Rohit and Gill won't likely play the 1st Test vs AUS [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X, @caught1bowled/X]Rohit and Gill won't likely play the 1st Test vs AUS [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X, @caught1bowled/X]

Since India have landed on Australian soil, rumours and speculations surrounding captain Rohit Sharma's participation in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have taken centre stage. The talismanic Mumbai batter, who recently embraced fatherhood for the second time, is expected to miss the series opener, as per the latest reports. Rohit hasn't travelled to Australia yet and will likely be replaced by Jasprit Bumrah as the Indian captain in Perth. 

KL Rahul Declared Fit Before BGT Opener; Gill Sustains Finger Injury

In another huge development, KL Rahul has been declared fit ahead of the all-important first game at Perth Stadium. A rising delivery struck the batter on his elbow, but fortunately for India, Rahul sweated it out in the nets session yesterday. Therefore, with Rohit being unavailable, the Karnataka batter will likely open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. 

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has reportedly fractured his thumb and will probably miss the first Test in Perth. India have a quality backup in Devdutt Padikkal, who might replace the Punjab batter at number three. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan have departed for India, so the visitors are now left with two top-order batters, Padikkal and Abhimanyu Easwaran. As Padikkal is a more regular face at number three and performed better than Easwaran in the recently concluded unofficial Tests, the southpaw will likely be preferred for Gill's replacement in Perth. 

Swashbuckling keeper-batter Rishabh Pant retains his place at number five, with either Dhruv Jurel or Sarfaraz Khan following him at six. Sarfaraz recently looked vulnerable against New Zealand's rampant bowling attack, and Jurel's recent form might make his case stronger for a potential return to India's Test XI. 

Nitish, Harishit Likely To Debut As India Plan Pace-Heavy Attack For Australia

Veteran cricketer Ravindra Jadeja will be an obvious choice for India's number seven. As it seems, he will be the solitary spinner, with India considering handing pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy his Test debut cap. So, India's bowling attack will probably consist of four fast bowlers, including Nitish Reddy. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be the new ball bowlers, Harshit Rana might pip Prasidh Krishna for his fiery spells in the net sessions. 

India's Potential XI For 1st Test vs Australia

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel/Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Mohammed Siraj