Perth (Australia): India won the toss and opt to bat against Australia in the first Test at the Optus Stadium here on Friday, November 22, 2024.
Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been presented their maiden Test caps by Ravichandran Ashwin and Virat Kohli respectively. On the other hand, opener Nathan McSweeney, who led Australia A in tour games against India A, made his Test debut for Australia.
🚨 Toss & Team News from Perth 🚨
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 22, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah has won the toss & #TeamIndia have elected to bat in the first Test.
Nitish Kumar Reddy & Harshit Rana make their Test debuts 🧢🧢 for India.
A look at our Playing XI 🔽
Live ▶️ https://t.co/gTqS3UPruo#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/EvO9XaOG9q
Nitish made his debut for India in the T20I series against Bangladesh, while Harshit Rana is set to receive his first India cap. Rana, who showcased impressive performances for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, has earned a place in the Indian team and will be a part of the playing XI for the series opener.
Australia: Nathan McSweeney (debut), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood #AUSvIND
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2024
He has experience playing in 10 first-class matches, where he has taken 43 wickets. In addition to his bowling skills, the right-arm pacer has scored 469 runs, including one century and two fifties. Harshit Rana, who will turn 23 next month, is a seam bowler for the Indian side.
While Teja Reddy, another player in the squad, excels in batting, Rana's strength lies in his bowling. He is capable of bowling fast, hitting the deck hard, and employing effective pace variations. His IPL franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, recognized his talent even prior to his domestic performances with Delhi. Rana was the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL and played a crucial role in KKR's title victory.
In first-class cricket, Rana boasts 43 wickets at an average of 24.00 and has scored 469 runs at an average of 42.63. Notably, he achieved an unbeaten score of 122 off just 86 balls, including nine sixes, although this remarkable innings came against a less competitive North-East Zone side.
Washington Sunder has been preferred by the team management ahead of the India's ace spin twin Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. Akash Deep who impressed everyone in the home season got dropped from the XI as Rana received his debut cap.
We are going to bat first, looks like a good wicket. Very confident with our preparation. We played a Test match here in 2018 so we know what to expect. The wicket gets quicker. Nitish makes his debut. We have 4 quicks and Washi is the lone spinner.
India's preparations for the series opener faced setbacks with Rohit Sharma ruled out following the birth of his second child and Shubman Gill sidelined due to a thumb fracture. These challenges left fans eager to see the replacements for such key players in a series pivotal to India’s hopes of securing a spot in the World Test Championship Final.
Playing XI:
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah(captain), Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins(captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
