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 eleven players.
Shaw had been under pressure, with Shubman Gill showing a better performance in the two matches of the tour.
However, Shaw was the starting opener and proved in a four-inning stint in New Zealand that he can be destructive.
Despite this, it is understood that with a medium order established, India wanted continuity at the top and kept the incumbent.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 have Ashwin in an opening match of a series was on the 2014-15 Australia tour.
In the case of the wicketkeeper, 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 wicketkeeper.
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 practice match he played.
