Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first in the Gabba Test against Australia. India made two changes to the playing XI as Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep came in at the expense of Ravichandran Ashwin and Harshit Rana. The match looks all set for an interesting contest.
IND vs AUS: India’s skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first in the Test match that is going on at The Gabba in Brisbane. This was due to overcast conditions and a pitch that seemed a bit soft with some grass cover, which meant that India could take early movement.
After making the decision, Rohit elaborated on the reason behind it, saying, “We’re going to bowl first. Little bit overcast and little bit of grass, looks a bit soft as well, want to make best use of the conditions. Lot of cricket to be played, both teams have played good cricket in the last two games. Big game for us here, we’ll do what is expected of us. We’ll play good cricket, we understand we have to capture some moments, we didn’t do that in the previous game which is why we lost. It’s absolutely buzzing, the guys are looking forward to the match, we’re looking forward to coming out here and playing. Looks a little soft at this point in time, conditions bit overcast as well, it will get better to bat as it goes on.”
As part of his team strategy, Rohit announced two major changes to the Indian lineup. Both Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja were included in the playing XI in place of Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin. This is the first time that both Akash and Jadeja will be seen in this tour’s Test series. They bring fresh energy to the squad. Rohit added, “We’ve made two changes. Jadeja and Akash are back in place of Ashwin and Harshit.”
On the other side, Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, also made a slight adjustment to his team. The fit-again Josh Hazlewood replaced Scott Boland in the lineup. Speaking about the conditions and team preparation, Cummins mentioned, “We would have bowled first too. It’s been a fantastic series so far, and we’re really happy with our performance last week. Almost everyone has pulled together, and the preparations had been superb. The Adelaide early finish allowed us to travel here early and settle down. Just one change Scott Boland out for Hazlewood.
With both teams being in excellent nick, this game at The Gabba is sure to prove to be a very interesting match. Rohit’s strategy of opting to bowl might prove crucial in this one, as the conditions may seem more suited for bowlers.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
ALSO READ | How Is Randy Moss Overcoming Cancer And What’s Next For NFL Legend?
A sessions court in Sealdah granted bail on Friday to Sandip Ghosh, former principal of…
From January 1, dividends of Indian entities will be taxed at 10% in Switzerland as…
President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to push for the elimination of Daylight Saving Time (DST),…
Actor and politician Kangana Ranaut reacted to Allu Arjun's arrest in connection with the tragic…
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile on Friday, shaking the Maule region and sending…
Switzerland withdraws the 'Most Favoured Nation' status from its tax treaty with India, following a…