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Team India`s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah has won the toss and elected to bat first against Australia in the IND vs AUS 1st Test at the Optus stadium in Perth.
Pacer Harshit Rana and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will be handed their debut caps for Team India. On the other hand, Nathan McSweeney will make his debut for Australia in the IND vs AUS 1st Test. The opener has a huge role to fill in as he will opening the innings alongside Usman Khawaja, following the retirement of David Warner.
Also Read: Down-and-out India face rusty Aus for supremacy
This is the second time that Bumrah will captain the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma after the Edgbaston Test against England in 2022, and the 30-year-old would like to lead the team in his own way. Following the birth of his second child, Rohit will not participate in the IND vs AUS 1st Test. There are speculations that he will join the team on Sunday, on the third day of the IND vs AUS 1st Test.
Shubman Gill will also miss the opening Test against Australia following his injury. This time it will be a five-match affair between India and Australia. Team India needs to secure victories in four out of the five Tests in order to seal their place in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC). The mega event will be held in Lord`s cricket stadium, next year. KL Rahul will also look to find himself among the runs in the ongoing Test series against Australia.
IND vs AUS 1st Test squads:
India: Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
(With PTI Inputs)
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