India defines XI for Adelaide Test: Shaw, Saha and Ashwin in the starting lineup

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 to field. On the eve of the day-night Test, they cleared up all the confusion by naming the XI. Shaw had been under pressure, with Shubman Gill performing better in the two matches of the tour. However, Shaw was the starting pitcher and showed in a four-inning stint in New Zealand that he can be destructive. Despite scoring 0, 19, 40, and 3 in the two games of the tour, it was his weak shots that were worrying.

Similarly, the Test’s headline spinner, especially with the absence of Ravindra Jadeja due to injury and concussion, kept his place. The last time India chose not to play Ashwin in an opening match of a series was on the 2014-15 Australia tour, a decision that was criticized for giving experience to Karn Sharma, whose lack of experience was evident on a pitch where Australia’s spinner, Nathan Lyon, proved to be the game changer. In the case of the wicketkeeper, however, India left out the regular Pant, who has been preferred over Saha in Tests outside of Asia, where most of the wicketkeeping is done standing back.

The management team seems to have decided that the pink ball does a lot and will require a more established pure wicketkeeper. And despite Pant’s century in the SCG warm-up, he had an ordinary tour of New Zealand, scoring 60 runs in four innings. He has not yet played for India in any international cricket since then.

Yadav was the favorite to be India’s third fast bowler, replacing the injured Ishant Sharma. Not only does he have experience in Tests – this is his fourth tour of Australia – but he also impressed in the only warm-up match he played, taking 3 for 48 and 1 for 14 and also scoring useful runs. India XI: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah