Melbourne: India team management, on Friday, announced their playing XI for the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting here on Saturday.
Hosts Australia, who won the Adelaide Test by 8 wickets, are 1-0 ahead in the 4-match Test series, will hold an advantage against the visitors as they will be missing the services of captain Virat Kohli.
The Boxing Test, to be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), will see new faces making Test debuts for the touring Team India. The management has granted much-awaited Test debut to the young Shubman Gill while Mohammed Siraj has been rewarded for his patience, determination, and form.
The 21-year-old Gill replaces Prithvi Shaw who, with scores of 0 and 4 in the Pink Ball Test, failed to keep his place in the playing XI. Siraj has been brought in replacing Mohammed Shami, who has been ruled out of the entire Test series due to an injury.
On the other hand, the management has called back wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
The Indian team will be led by Ajinkya Rahane in the absence of Virat Kohli, who is back in India to be by the side of his wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child.
INDIA’S PLAYING XI: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Shubman Gill (debut), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj (debut).
