The absence of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill is going to give Jasprit Bumrah and Gautam Gambhir a giant headache. As if coming from a humiliating defeat to New Zealand at home and tough Australian conditions weren’t enough, the Indian cricket team will now have to play the Perth Test with two handicaps, i.e., the absence of two of their top three. We aren’t even counting Mohammed Shami‘s unavailability either. The pacer seems to be on track towards being completely match-fit, but he isn’t ready to play his first international game since November 19, 2023.
Dhruv Jurel to replace Shubman Gill at 3
Two replace two batters up top, and the whole lineup would change. Head coach Gambhir had already hinted that if Rohit Sharma wasn’t available, KL Rahul would probably replace him. Therefore, instead of playing at number five, Rahul will move up and partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill’s position remains the biggest mystery. His finger injury has ruled him out of the India vs Australia 1st Test, and there aren’t really many batters present in the squad that can take over.
Dhruv Jurel, who’d impressed everything with his stellar performance at the MCG against Australia A, is one of the names who’s been propped up. He’s got a solid enough technique to bat at number three, but he hasn’t done so before. He’s been a middle-order bat since he made his first-class debut. Abhimanyu Easwaran failed to replicate domestic success against Australia A and won’t be in contention for a spot.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sai Sudharsan, the other top-order batters who came with India A, have been sent home. However, Devdutt Padikkal has been told to stay in Australia. The southpaw too is a middle-order batter and still hasn’t been added to the squad for the 1st Test. The picture painted doesn’t seem good. But if I were betting, I would bet on Gambhir making Jurel bat at Gill’s position.
Washington Sundar ahead of Sarfaraz Khan?
Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant’s place at number four and five is set. Sarfaraz Khan might have gotten lucky. Had Rohit Sharma not been unavailability, Rahul might have played ahead of him. Dhruv Jurel, his other likely competitor, is also expected to replace Gill. He’s going to be there in Perth. But Gambhir can try something radical. He can try Washington Sundar at six. That gives Team India bowling flexibility. You can then play three proper pacers alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar as all-rounders.
Debut for Nitish Kumar Reddy
Of course, it also opens the door for Nitish Kumar Reddy. The inexperienced pace-bowling all-rounder has just 23 first-class matches under his belt, but his talent is for everyone to see. He didn’t fare well against Australia A, but he’s got to be tried sometime. On spin-friendly tracks at home, that seems difficult, so why not in Perth? Sure, he’ll be under pressure, but that’ll only show his true character.
Akash Deep ahead of Harshit Rana & Prasidh Krishna?
Now let’s come to the pacers. Jasprit Bumrah is the captain for the India vs Australia 1st Test, so he’s the first name on the team sheet. Not that his exploits don’t already have him as the first man there. Mohammed Siraj’s performance hasn’t been great for a while, but he’s the only pacer barring Bumrah with some experience of bowling in Australia.
That leaves us with one spot and three pacers. One of Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana will play in Perth. Reports suggest that Rana could be handed his debut cap, but Akash as a like-for-like replacement for Shami could work well. One can’t forget Prasidh either. He got eight wickets against Australia A in two matches and was exceptional at MCG in particular.
All three are hit-the-deck bowlers, but being tall might help both Harshit and Prasidh’s case a bit more. Gambhir has seen Harshit from close quarters at the Kolkata Knight Riders, and that could work in the 22-year-old’s favour. Prasidh’s fitness issues could be the reason why he’s left out. His body has failed him time and again; trying him out after not playing an international game in a year could be risky. Akash should be the obvious pick, as he played the last Test match India played, but you never know.
India’s squad for 1st Test vs Australia
Jasprit Bumrah (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, 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.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
