Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant miss out as have India announced the playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. On the eve of the encounter, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to Twitter and named the initial XI of the Test. There aren’t many surprises in the line-up as Mayank Agarwal will open the innings alongside Prithvi Shaw which means Shubman Gill has to sit out. Veteran trio Cheteshwar Pujara, skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya  Rahane will handle the mantle at the middle order. India vs Australia 1st Test 2020 Preview.

Hanuma Vihari – who scored an impressive hundred in the second practice game – will be batting at number six and hence, KL Rahul will not make a return in whites. Despite a whirlwind century in the practice match, Rishabh Pant hasn’t been selected with Wriddhiman Saha keeping the wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin has been picked as the lone spinner over Ravindra Jadeja while the pace trio comprises of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. The side indeed has balance, but they have to perform as a unit to get the favourable result. Virat Kohli ‘Excited’ Ahead of India vs Australia 1st Test 2020, Shares Pictures From Training Session.

Here's India's Playing XI!!

India Playing XI For 1st Test Against Australia: Virat Kohli (C), Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.

Except for Shaw, all the players in the XI were the part of India’s victorious squad in 2018-19 series, and it will be interesting to see if Virat Kohli’s troop can replicate their heroics or not. The challenge will even be more formidable as it will be a Day-Night Test, and dealing with the Pink Ball will not be a bread and butter task.

On the other hand, the Aussies are yet to announce their playing XI, but they’ll have a lot of headache with the likes of David Warner, and Will Pucovski ruled out of the first Test.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 16, 2020 01:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).