Explained: Why India handed debuts to Reddy and Rana for 1st Test against Australia, picked Sundar over Ashwin, Jadeja

India made a flurry of changes to the XI for the opening Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth, handing a couple of debuts in order bolster their pace attack and benching a couple of senior pros in the process. Seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Harshit Rana were handed their maiden caps ahead of toss, in which stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah elected to bat after calling successfully.

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The visitors also brought in Devdutt Padikkal to the No 3 spot while opting to name spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar as their lone spin option, resulting in Ravichandran Aswhin and Ravindra Jadeja getting benched in the process.

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Australia too had a debutant in their ranks for the BGT opener at Perth’s Optus Stadium – where the Indians are playing only their second Test – with Nathan McSweeney being drafted to the top of the order as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner.

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With the marquee Test series between India and Australia finally underway after months of hype, we take a look at some of the reasons behind India’s decision with regards to their combination:

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Why India chose to hand debuts to Reddy and Rana

Among the key takeaways from the 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand at home was how brittle the Indian batting lineup looked from time to time and how they were prone to collapses. Being an all-rounder who is quite handy a batter down the order, even explosive in T20s, Reddy’s inclusion is an effort on the part of the Indian team management to try and shorten their infamous ’long tail'.

Rana, meanwhile, was competing with Akash Deep for the third pacer’s slot after captain Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Akash has largely been impressive in home Tests this year but the management decided to go with Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders pace sensation Rana, whom they believed would be better suited for the “spicy” Perth wicket that is among the fastest and bounciest in the world.

Given the conditions in Australia, especially in Perth, India were always going to pick four seamers. And with Mohammed Shami not included for the ongoing tour, the chances of both Reddy and Rana getting picked were always going to be high.

Why Sundar was preferred over Ashwin, Jadeja

The logic behind Sundar’s inclusion is similar to that of Reddy – an effort on the visitors’ part to try and extend their batting order as much as possible. Sundar had made his Test return after three years against New Zealand in Pune and would chip in with an attacking 38 not out off 36 balls in the subsequent Test in Mumbai, helping the hosts collect a 28-run first innings lead in the process. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner was also among the more successful bowlers in the series, collecting 16 wickets across two Tests including 7/59 in Pune.

Both Ashwin and Jadeja’s batting form had tapered after their match-winning contributions against Bangladesh in Chennai, and also looked off-colour with the ball against the Kiwis barring the latter’s five-for in Mumbai.

Why Padikkal is batting at one-down in Perth

Padikkal makes only his second Test appearance in Perth, and his first away from home, after being included in place of Shubman Gill at the No 3 spot. Gill had suffered a fractured thumb while fielding during India’s match-simulation at the WACA in Perth, and isn’t likely to recover before the second Test, which gets underway in Adelaide on 6 December.

Padikkal, who was part of the India A team that faced Australia A in a two-match unofficial Test series recently, was asked to stay back and eventually added to India’s squad.