India vs Australia 2nd Test Playing 11, squad, player list: Team India will play XI for the second round at Melbourne Cricket Ground announced on Friday. Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohd Siraj are in the XI of play for the Boxing Day Test, starting on Saturday.
Already 0-1 in the four-game test series, India will face the mighty Australians in the absence of the usual pattern Virat Kohli. The team led by Ajinkya Rahane will have two newcomers in the form of Shubman Gill and Mohd Siraj. While Wriddhiman Saha has been replaced by Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja is also returning to the Test side.
ALERT🚨: #TeamIndia for the second round of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia to be played at MCG from tomorrow announced. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4g1q3DJmm7
– BCCI (@BCCI) December 25, 2020
Opener Prithvi Shaw’s ax was on the cards after he was eliminated with scores of 0 and 4 in two innings of the opening test in Adelaide. Shubman Gill’s languid approach and that extra second while taking on fast pitchers, coupled with a much tighter technique than Prithvi Shaw, could give the locker room the confidence required in times of trial.
Gill will feature Mayank Agarwal’s company, who would like to make an encore, if not better, of his performance at a venue where he made his Test debut.
Shubman Gill has delivered a couple of impressive shots in prep games (Twitter / BCCI)
Similarly, Rishabh Pant, whose intention always brings much more security than a passive Wriddhiman Saha, is expected to play his fearless style of cricket, which is the need of the moment. Pant was an instant hit during the last tour in 2018-19 but in the last year he had lost both form and confidence to give up his place in the white ball formats.
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The young workhorse Mohammed Siraj will step in temporarily to fill the void created by the injury of the crafty Mohammed Shami and will be about how Rahane, considered the captain of a bowler, handles him.
With PTI inputs
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