The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been generating a lot of buzz in recent days, and the first match of the tournament is finally here. The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur is hosting the first Test of the four-match series. The wicket here is expected to be a turner, so the teams are going spinners-heavy.
Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first on a slow pitch. Rohit Sharma also preferred to bat first but had to settle for bowling first. The Indian team’s management made some difficult decisions regarding their Playing XI.
While there was much speculation about who would get a game between KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav, Surya has been given his maiden Test cap. The star batter received his cap from former Indian cricketer and former head coach Ravi Shastri.
The 32-year-old was seen getting emotional as he received his cap. He has been waiting to get this opportunity for a long time now. While he has dominated the shortest format of the game, it is expected that he will continue his attacking game in Test as well.
Watch Suryakumar Yadav receiving his Test cap
A proud moment in the career of Suryakumar Yadav. pic.twitter.com/6GtFJQGnGL
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 9, 2023
In the meantime, India is also fielding another debutant, KS Bharat. The wicketkeeper-batsman replaces Rishabh Pant, who was severely injured in a car accident in December. He will be out of the team for at least a few months.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is currently held by India, who have the last three series in 2017, 2018-19, and 2020-21. The baggy greens, on the other hand, have not won a single series in India since 2004. They will try to change that this time.
India Playing XI
Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Australia Playing XI
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland
