Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, and Prithvi Shaw have been selected to represent India in the upcoming Adelaide Test. Umesh Yadav completes the trio of fast bowlers.
The decision on who would play in the starting team generated a lot of anticipation. The main questions revolved around whether confidence would be maintained in the young Shaw, whether a spinner would be included and Ashwin’s experience would be opted for, and which wicketkeeper would be selected.
Finally, on the eve of the expected day-night test, all doubts were cleared when the starting eleven was announced.
Shaw, who had been under pressure, competed with Shubman Gill, who performed better in the two practice matches. However, Shaw, as a starting opener, demonstrated his potential in one of the four innings in New Zealand.
Although his scores in the practice matches were modest, what worried most were his loose shots. It was understood that India was looking for continuity at the top of the order and chose to keep the starting opener.Similarly, the titular spinner, especially with the absence of Ravindra Jadeja due to injury, kept his place.
As for the wicketkeeper, India opted to leave out Pant, who has been preferred over Saha in tests outside of Asia. The team seems to have decided that the pink ball demands a more experienced wicketkeeper.
Yadav was the favorite to be India’s third fast bowler, replacing the injured Ishant Sharma. Not only does he have test experience, but he also impressed in the only practice match he played.India’s Line-up: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (c), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
