Live: IND Vs AUS, Day 3 - 1st Test | Live Scores & Commentary | India vs Australia | 2024 Series

Live: IND Vs AUS, Day 3 - 1st Test | Live Scores & Commentary | India vs Australia | 2024 Series
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PREVIEW: The much awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy is moments away as India and Australia are scheduled to play in the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth. The big matchup will begin on November 22 from 7.50 AM IST. Both sides are expected to put their best foot forward as WTC 2025 final qualification is at stake.
Australia, despite being a big force at home, were defeated against India in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Series. In fact, they are yet to win the prestigious trophy since 2016. Heading into the Perth Test, Australia has curated a pitch that suits them, bouncy with tons of grass.
While Cameron Green is not available, Nathan McSweeney is expected to make his debut. Smith and Labuschagne will also be an issue, given their phenomenal record at home. Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins will lead the pace department, and this trio will essentially be difference makers. Overall, Australia are favourites owing to their perfect win record at the Perth Stadium.
India is not only under pressure to defend the BGT title but also qualify for the WTC 2025 finals. Coming from a defeat at home, the spirit is low in the visitors dressing room. Moreover, the absence of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill has further affected their chance to win. Regardless, skipper Jasprit Bumrah and head coach Gautam Gambhir are embracing the challenge head on.
Youth will be in focus as Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Reddy and Nitish Rana are in line for a call-up. Virat Kohli who mastered the art of scoring runs in Australia, will be under the spotlight in what could be a farewell series for him.
KL Rahul is likely to open and given his recent struggles, expectations will be low. Moreover, the Perth pitch will test the true character of Indian batters. The practice game wasn't promising, and hence the visitors are in for some challenge in the opening game of the Border-Gavaskar Series.
Perth pitch will be a classic Australian surface with tons of grass. As per the images released, the ball will carry good bounce and under overcast conditions, fast bowlers will gain significant lateral movement. Spinners will have too little help until the ball gets slightly old.
Teams:
India Team: Yashasvi Jaiswal - KL Rahul - Devdutt Padikkal - Virat Kohli - Rishabh Pant(w) - Dhruv Jurel - Nitish Reddy - Ravichandran Ashwin - Akash Deep - Jasprit Bumrah(c) - Mohammed Siraj - Sarfaraz Khan - Prasidh Krishna - Ravindra Jadeja - Harshit Rana - Washington Sundar - Abhimanyu Easwaran
Australia Team: Usman Khawaja - Nathan McSweeney - Marnus Labuschagne - Steven Smith - Travis Head - Mitchell Marsh - Alex Carey(w) - Mitchell Starc - Pat Cummins(c) - Nathan Lyon - Josh Hazlewood - Josh Inglis - Scott Boland