India vs Australia 2nd Test Playing 11, Squad, Players List: Team India’s playing XI for the second Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground has been announced on Friday. Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohd Siraj are in the playing XI for the Boxing Day Test, starting from Saturday.
Already 0-1 in the four-match Test series, India will take on the mighty Aussies in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli. Ajinkya Rahane-led team will have two debutants (Shubman Gill and Mohd Siraj) in the team. While Wriddhiman Saha has been replaced by Rishabh Pant and all rounder Ravindra Jadeja is also making a comeback to the Test side.
Opener Prithvi Shaw’s axing was on cards after he was bowled out for scores of 0 and 4 in two innings of the opening Test at Adelaide. Shubman Gill’s languid approach and that extra second while facing fast bowlers, coupled with a way tighter technique than Prithvi Shaw, might just give the dressing room the confidence required in testing times.
Gill will have the company of Mayank Agarwal, who would be wanting to do an encore, if not better, of his performance at a venue where he made his Test debut.
Similarly, Rishabh Pant, whose intent always provides way more assurance than a passive Wriddhiman Saha, is expected to play his fearless brand of cricket which is the need of the hour. Pant was an instant hit during the last tour in 2018-19 but in the past year, had lost both form and confidence to surrender his place in the white-ball formats.
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Young workhorse Mohammed Siraj will step in temporarily to fill the void created by crafty Mohammed Shami’s injury and it will be about how Rahane, touted as a bowler’s captain, handles him.
The Australians aren’t known to take any prisoners and an unchanged XI that is expected to play at the MCG will not take its foot off the pedal, skipper Tim Paine insisted.
“Well, we can’t pay any attention to mental scars or whatever the thing they’re talking about,” Pain said on the eve of the match.
“We know India is a proud cricket country, an extremely talented Test match side with lots of dangerous players,” he added.
With PTI inputs
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