Rohit Sharma will most likely to miss the first Test match in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. India's Test and ODI skipper was recently blessed with a baby boy and spending time with his family in India. In absence of Rohit, India ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah will lead Men in Blue in the Perth Test which is scheduled to start from November 22.
Jasprit Bumrah will lead the Indian team in Tests for the second time. He previously captained during the 2022 England tour when Rohit Sharma was sidelined due to COVID-19.
Apart from Rohit, young batter Shubman Gill will also miss the first Test match as he got an injury while fielding during India's match simulation session on Day 2. After Gill's injury Indian management has decided to keep four players from the India A squad. Under this, Devdutt Padikkal has been asked to stay in Australia to have options in batting. Apart from Padikkal, fast bowlers Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar and Khalil Ahmed have also been asked to stay in Australia.
According to reports, Padikkal will likely will feature in India's playing XI for the first Test match in Perth. He will be a good option to bat at number three. Padikkal made his Test debut against England earlier this year at Dharamsala and made a 65 while batting at No. 4. However, the 24-year-old batter was unable to impress much against Australia A while playing for India A. He played innings of 36, 88, 26, 1 on the Australia tour. But he impressed Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the coaches in the nets. PTI quoted a source as saying, 'Devdutt impressed Jasprit Bumrah a lot while playing in the nets and the management has kept this in mind.'
Devdutt Padikkal, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Navdeep Saini were part of India A's tour of Australia. Among them, Mukesh impressed with his bowling against Australia A, while Navdeep caught attention during match simulations. Navdeep, who enjoys the trust of head coach Gautam Gambhir, earned his spot in Delhi’s Ranji team at Gambhir’s recommendation. He was also part of India’s squad for the 2020-21 Australia tour, playing Tests in Sydney and Brisbane. However, he has not featured in this format for India since then.
Mukesh Kumar has already made his Test debut for India, while Khaleel Ahmed is yet to play in this format. As a left-arm pacer, Khaleel could prove valuable for Team India, particularly in preparations to tackle Mitchell Starc. His inclusion offers the team a strategic advantage in countering Australia’s bowling plans.
Players who will likely to make debut in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is set to make his Test debut in the opening match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting Friday at Perth's Optus Stadium. With the pitch expected to offer bounce and carry, Reddy is being considered as the fourth seamer to strengthen India's fast bowling attack. His inclusion is seen as a strategic move to adapt to the conditions in Perth. With no Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya Nitish is the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the India squad.
