India reveals its lineup for the Adelaide Test
Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, and Prithvi Shaw will represent India in the Adelaide Test. Umesh Yadav will be the third fast bowler. These were the main questions India asked itself two days before the Test: whether to continue backing the energetic Shaw, whether to play with a spinner and persist with the safer option of Ashwin, and which of the wicketkeepers should play. On the eve of the day-night Test, they resolved all the confusion by naming the eleven players. Shaw had been under pressure, with Shubman Gill performing better in the two tour matches. However, Shaw was the starting opener and proved in a four-run innings in New Zealand that he can be destructive. He scored 0, 19, 40 and 3 in the two tour matches, but more than the scores, it was his loose shots that worried.
In the case of the wicketkeeper, India dropped the regular Pant, who has been preferred over Saha in tests outside of Asia, where most of the wicketkeeping is done standing up. It is in India where the team management believes that Saha’s superior skills as a wicketkeeper come into play when standing up to the spinners. The team management seems to have decided that the pink ball does a lot and will require a more established wicketkeeper.
Yadav was the favorite to be India’s third fast bowler, replacing the injured Ishant Sharma. Not only does he have Test experience – this is his fourth tour of Australia – but he also impressed in the only practice match he played.India’s Playing XI: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (captain), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
