Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. This match, a pink-ball, day-night affair, adds an extra layer of intrigue to the series.
India enters the Adelaide Test with both a mental and physical edge, following a dominant performance in the first Test, led by Jasprit Bumrah’s superb bowling and effective captaincy. However, the visitors will aim to banish the memories of the infamous 2020 Adelaide pink-ball Test, where they were bowled out for their lowest Test score of 36. On that occasion, Pat Cummins (4/21) and Josh Hazlewood (5/8) dismantled the Indian batting lineup, leaving Australia a straightforward target of just 90 runs.
India is currently 1-0 up in the series, following a record-shattering 295-run victory in Perth. For this Test, India has made three changes to their playing XI. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill return to the side, with Gill making a comeback after recovering from a thumb injury that sidelined him for the first Test. Ravichandran Ashwin also rejoins the team, bringing an impressive pink-ball record of 18 wickets in four matches at an average of 13.83. Players left out for this match include Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, and Washington Sundar.
At the toss, Rohit Sharma expressed confidence in the pitch conditions.
“The pitch looks good and dry with enough grass covering,” Rohit said. “There will be something in it for everyone. I’ve been here for two weeks now and am ready to go. The mood is good and pretty vibrant. What the boys did in Perth was superb. It’s a long series, and we’ll try to do most things right. The fast bowlers are happy with the break, and we want to carry forward from where we left. We’ve made three changes—I’m back, Gill is back, and Ashwin is back. I’ll be batting in the middle order.”
Australia, meanwhile, made one change to their side. Pacer Josh Hazlewood misses out due to a strain, with Scott Boland replacing him. Skipper Pat Cummins spoke about the unique challenges of the pink ball.
“It is always good to have a fresh start,” Cummins said. “The pink ball can behave a little differently. We’ve had really good preparation. It’s pretty muggy today. Just one change—Josh Hazlewood misses out, and Scott Boland comes in.”
Playing XIs: India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Rohit Sharma (c), Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (w), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.