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 bowler 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.
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 were his loose shots that worried.Similarly, the Test opening bowler, 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 the series was on the 2014-15 Australia tour, a decision that was criticized for including Karn Sharma, whose lack of experience manifested itself on a pitch where Australia’s bowler, Nathan Lyon, proved to be the game changer.
In the case of the wicketkeeper, however, India left out the regular Pant. The management team seems to have decided that the pink ball does a lot and will require a more established 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 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 Test experience, 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 in the order.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
