India vs Australia 2024 Predicted 11: THIS Rajasthan Royals star to bat at No 3 in Perth Test, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill out of first game

The first India vs Australia 2024 Test for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Perth is less than a week. It has now been confirmed that skipper Rohit Sharma will be missing the Perth Tests and won’t be available before the second Test in Adelaide which gets underway on November 30. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be handed the captaincy reigns in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

With KL Rahul being declared fit for the Perth Test, he will be obvious replacement for captain Rohit. But there is another injury concern with India’s No. 3 batter Shubman Gill ruled out for first and possibly even the second Test with a fractured finger.

Former Rajasthan Royals batter Devdutt Padikkal has been asked to stay back with the Indian side and is all set to take up the critical number three position. Padikkal notched up scores of 36, 88, 26, and 1 in his four innings against Australia A team recently.

The performances might not be significant but the team management believes his experience and familiarity with Australian conditions make him the ideal choice as a batting backup. Padikkal played his only Test so far against England earlier this year, scoring 65 in his only innings in Dharamsala.

 

DEVDUTT PADIKKAL IS LIKELY TO BAT AT NO.3 FOR INDIA IN FIRST TEST vs AUSTRALIA IN BGT…!!!! (Kushan Sarkar). pic.twitter.com/7MejGZ54Qn

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) November 17, 2024

Dhruv Jurel to replace Sarfaraz Khan

Another Rajasthan Royals batter Dhruv Jurel might have batted himself into the playing 11 of the first Test in Perth with his twin fifties for India ‘A’ against Australia ‘A’ at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Jurel may replace Sarfaraz Khan in the playing 11 after the Mumbai batter failed miserably in the last two Tests at home against New Zealand after scoring his maiden Test ton in Bengaluru.

Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna vie for 3rd pacer’s slot

Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders speedster Harshit Rana could pose a strong challenge to senior teammate Prasidh Krishna as they battle it out for the third pacer’s slot in the India playing XI for the opening Test against Australia in Perth, starting on November 22. Harshit, who is only 10 first-class matches old, has reportedly been brilliant with his consistent pace over 140kmph and his ability to extract good bounce has also impressed the team management.

During the India nets at the WACA ground in Perth, Harshit hurried the batters with his raw pace on a number of occasions. On the other hand, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel spent considerable time with the Karnataka man, who was impressive during the recent A series against Australia at Mackay and Melbourne.

Prasidh has experience of playing two Tests and can also hit the top of off-stump.

Mohammed Shami not to be rushed to Australia

Mohammed Shami’s international comeback might take place in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but it could happen during the second half of the series. Those privy to developments said BCCI medical team and national selectors want Shami to play a few more competitive games in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to check if his body is holding up after multiple games even if it’s a white ball format tournament.

“Bengal team for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be selected tomorrow. If Shami is not going for Border Gavaskar Trophy, I believe he will be available for Bengal,” head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla told PTI news agency.

It is understood that the selection committee doesn’t want to take chances by fast-tracking Shami after just one Ranji Trophy match having completed an extensive rehabilitation programme. However, Shami, who appeared in a competitive match after a year, was impressive in his outing for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh at Indore, returning with a seven-wicket match haul in his side’s first victory of the season.

India’s Predicted 11 for 1st Test vs Australia in Perth

KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (captain), Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj