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Reinforced India bat first in pink-ball Test v Australia
Return of skipper Rohit Sharma and batter Shubman Gill bolstered India’s batting line up
India, bolstered by the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and batter Shubman Gill, won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in the day-night second Test in Adelaide on Friday.
Rohit missed India’s comprehensive victory in the series opener in Perth to care for his newborn baby in Mumbai, while top order batter Gill sat out with a thumb injury.
India also brought in veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, while leaving out Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel and Devdutt Padikkal.
“It looks a good pitch. It obviously looks a little dry at the moment but there’s enough grass covering as well,” Rohit said at the toss.
“I guess it will have some carry for the fast bowlers but as the game goes on it will get better to bat and there will be something in it for everyone.”
Scott Boland replaced injured paceman Josh Hazlewood in Australia’s sole change for the match.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said they would have liked to bat first but were ready to exploit the early conditions at the Adelaide Oval.
“Day one, pink ball. There might be a bit of nip there for us. It’s good to have a fresh start,” Cummins said.
“It’s a venue we really love playing at. Pink ball can be a little bit different than red ball.”
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Rohit Sharma (captain), Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj