The Indian squad is in Australia already for the five-match Test series, with the first match starting in Perth on November 22. There are some big concerns with the team just before the series — that came forward in the recent IND vs NZ series, that the hosts lost 0-3. And for the same reason, Rohit Sharma & Co. came under severe criticism as well.
IND vs AUS in Perth
Maybe to stay away from all the media attention, the Indian team came up with the idea, of having nets session away from the camera lenses. As per Jackson Barrett & Glen Quartermain of The West Australian, the WACA was put under a lockdown for the Indian team, while the ground was also covered with nets. The ground staff is also not allowed to use their phones inside the stadium. In fat, the situation is quite similar to what it was during the T20 World Cup 2022.
It is important to note that Rohit had said that the team will undergo match simulations in Australia. But then their practice match vs Ruturaj Gaikwad’s IND A was cancelled.
No Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
While Rohit Sharma is yet to reach Australia, Virat Kohli is already there, but was not seen in India’s first net session. Players like Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen practicing at the nets, instead. As far as the pitch for the first Test is concerned, it is expected to be pacy and bouncy, as all Perth pitches of the past, and expected to develop cracks as the game progresses.
IND Squad for AUS Tests
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), 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.