India’s playing XI for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Perth took everyone by surprise. Veteran spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were expected to feature in all the 5 Tests of the all-important series. However, they were dropped from the squad in the first Test itself.
It was all-rounder Washington Sundar who was chosen by India as their sole spinner in the playing XI for the first Test. His inclusion raised many eyebrows due to the stature Ashwin and Jadeja have. Later during commentary, former India coach Ravi Shastri explained the reason behind this selection.
The former India cricketer believes that Sundar got the nod because of his recent form, against New Zealand, and ability to bat “at any position in the batting order”. Shastri also added that Sundar has earned his place in the squad over both Ashwin and Jadeja.
India entered the match with 2 debutants, all-roundar Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana. On the other hand, batter Nathan McSweeney also earned his maiden Test cap for Australia in the Perth Test.
“We are going to bat first, looks like a good wicket. Very confident with our preparation. We played a Test match here in 2018 so we know what to expect. The wicket gets quicker. Nitish makes his debut. We have 4 quicks and Washi is the lone spinner,” skipper Jasprit Bumrah said upon winning the toss.
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