India, strengthened by the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and opener Shubman Gill, won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Rohit, absent from India’s victory in the Perth opener to be with his newborn, rejoined the squad alongside Gill, who recovered from a thumb injury. India also included veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, while Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, and Devdutt Padikkal made way.
Rohit, explaining his decision at the toss, said:
“It looks a good pitch. It obviously looks a little dry at the moment but there’s enough grass covering as well. 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.”
Australia’s Sole Change
Australia made one adjustment, bringing in Scott Boland to replace injured pacer Josh Hazlewood. Captain Pat Cummins expressed readiness to bowl first, given the conditions:
“Day one, pink ball. There might be a bit of nip there for us. It’s good to have a fresh start. It’s a venue we really love playing at. Pink ball can be a little bit different than red ball.”
Teams for the Second Test
Australia:
Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
India:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Nitesh Kumar Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
With the pink ball and the unique conditions of a day-night Test, both teams are prepared for a competitive battle in Adelaide.
