India reveals its starting eleven 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 contemplated two days before the Test: whether to continue backing the flashy Shaw, whether to play a spinner and persist with the safer option of Ashwin, and which of the wicketkeepers to play. On the eve of the day-night Test, they cleared up all the confusion by naming the XI. Shaw had been under pressure, as Shubman Gill performed better in the two tour matches. However, Shaw was the opening batsman and proved in a four-inning in New Zealand that he can be destructive. Despite the annotations, it was his loose shots that were worrying. It is understood that, with a medium order established, India also wanted continuity at the top and opted for the starter.
In the case of the wicketkeeper, India dropped the incumbent Pant, who has been preferred over Saha in Tests outside of Asia, where most of the wicketkeeping is done standing up. The management team seems to have decided that the pink ball does a lot and will require a more established pure 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 warm-up match he played, taking 3 for 48 and 1 for 14 and also scoring useful runs.Reasonable as it is to play with Ashwin, this time, there might have been a case for not playing a spinner at all in the inaugural match of the series because in day-night Tests in Australia, spinners have averaged 49 despite Lyon’s superlative average of 25 in these matches.
Alofoke Deportes
India XI:
- Mayank Agarwal
- Prithvi Shaw
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Virat Kohli (capt.)
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Hanuma Vihari
- Wriddhiman Saha (wk)
- R Ashwin
- Umesh Yadav
- Mohammed Shami
- Jasprit Bumrah
