Australia vs India 2020-21, 1st Test: Prithvi Shaw Will Be Second Opener; Rishabh Pant Dropped From India’s Final XI For Adelaide Test
Dec 16, 2020 at 4:09 PM
Team India has officially released it’s playing XI for the first-ever pink-ball Test match against Australia in Adelaide. For the opener’s position, Prithvi Shaw has been chosen over Shubman Gill, who played sublime knocks in warm-up games while the wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who scored a century with the pink-ball practice match against Australia A, has been dropped.
Except for the quick-firing 40 in the first innings of the second warm-up game, Prithvi Shaw could not even touch the 20 runs mark in the two warm-up games. But he has more experience than Shubman Gill in Test cricket, playing four Test matches and has also even scored a century. Thus, probably, he has been given priority over the Punjab cricketer. Mayank Agarwal, who had a decent Australia tour last year, will be the batting partner of the youngster.
India’s middle-order is well-settled with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari. For the wicketkeeper position, Wriddhiman Saha will take on the field on Thursday (December 18). He had missed Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2018-19 series because of injury but this year Saha, who is known as one of the best wicketkeepers in the cricket world, has been given nod ahead of Rishabh Pant.
Umesh Yadav is India’s third Pacer:
In the bowling department, Ravichandran Ashwin is the in and out spinner in the team while the three pacers are Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.
There was a lot of buzz around the third pacer option. India has gone with Umesh Yadav, who impressed with his bowling masterpiece in the first warm-up game.
Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini were the other options for Team India but the inexperienced speedsters could not prove their case in the practice matches.
Here is India’s Playing XI:
Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandra Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.