India and Australia are set to clash in the opening Test match of the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 starting on 22nd November in the Optus Stadium, Perth. (More Cricket News)
India have won the last four BGTs and the hosts are keen to start the campaign with a thumping victory against the Rohit Sharma-less Indian team. Jasprit Bumrah will be leading in Perth in his absence.
India are coming Down Under on the back of a 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand on home soil. So, things are a little scrutinized and the head coach Gautam Gambhir will not take any chance against the current World Test Championship (WTC) table-toppers.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is a batting all-rounder, is expected to make his Test debut in the opener. And the team management might go with Ravichandran Ashwin over Ravindra Jadeja as the pitch at Perth will allow only one spinner in the playing XI.
India Vs Australia Full Squad for 1st Test
India: Jasprit Bumrah (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar
Australia: Pat Cummins (C), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
Let's take a look at three key player battles to look out for in the Perth Test match
1. Jasprit Bumrah vs Travis Head
Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the India side for the second time when he comes out to bowl at Perth Stadium. He is among the most destructive bowlers and his battle with the most astonishing current batter in all-format, Travis Head, will be a treat to watch.
Head has given India nightmares on many occasions and his centurion knocks in the WTC final in 2023 and the ICC Cricket World Cup final later that year in November, still hurt many Indians. Bumrah is the best in business to do the ball talking and he will be a crucial weapon against a batter like Travis Head in Perth.
2. Pat Cummins vs Virat Kohli
The Australian captain Pat Cummins has looked good and in form during his ODI matches against Pakistan and he is keen to be back in whites against India. Indian batting mainstay Virat Kohli has been struggling with the bat for a few months now but his best always comes against Australia and every cricket enthusiast is excited about his comeback in the traditional format.
He will also be hoping for a big score after a long time but the Aussie captain might create some problems for him. The player battles between the two will be worthy of watching.
3. Mitchell Starc vs KL Rahul
KL Rahul is set to open the batting in Rohit Sharma's absence and his biggest challenge will be the tall and fast Mitchell Starc. The Australia speedster has not been in his prime for a few months but the case is similar for the struggling KL Rahul as well. Both players will try to get on top of the other.
Rahul struggled to score during the home Test series but the team management has shown their confidence in him and he will try to remember his maiden Test ton which came on Australian soil back in 2015 at Sydney. He was given the chance to open the batting for the first time in the red-ball format.
