IND vs AUS: Team India prepares for changes in Perth Test, Harshit Rana may debut; who will replace Gill?

Pacer Harshit Rana could make his Team India debut as the visitors fret over who to play in the first Test against Australia in Perth. The first Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start on 22 November at the Optus Stadium in Perth and Team India will hope to make a winning start in the five-match series in Australia where making a comeback in tough conditions could become a big challenge later.

However, due to injuries and captain Rohit Sharma’s absence, coach Gautam Gambhir and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah have very few options to pick from and could be forced to take some out-of-the-box decisions.

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KL Rahul set to open in Rohit Sharma’s absence

Rohit will be missing the first Test due to the birth of his second child . While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to make anything official, the media reports state that Rohit has already communicated his unavailability and will not join the team at least till the end of the Perth Test. In such a scenario, India are very likely to opt for KL Rahul an the opener. Rahul played in India A's 2nd unofficial Test at MCG recently and practiced as an opener in Team India’s intra-squad match simulation in Perth that lasted for three days from 15 November to 17 November.

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Though Rahul got hit on his right elbow by a Prasidh Krishna bouncer on Day 1 of the simulation, he returned to bat on Sunday , allaying fears over his availability. He will most likely open in Perth alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“He looks fine now, and the physio will continue to monitor him for the next few days to ensure that there is no discomfort,” a BCCI source told news agency PTI while discussing Rahul’s availability.

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Devdutt Padikkal to bat No.3 in Perth?

Shubman Gill could have been India’s opener due to Rahul’s recent poor form but he is reportedly certain to miss the Perth Test match due to a fractured finger which raises new concerns for Team India about who will bat at the No.3 slot. As per PTI, Devdutt Padikkal has been asked to stay back in Australia after India’s A tour is over. B Sai Sudharsan could also be asked to stay back. Both batters recently batted in Australia and are ready for the conditions, hence the team management has decided to keep them as back-up.

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Padikkal, who made his Test debut against England at Dharamsala in March 2024 and scored 65, could get a chance to bat at No.3 in Perth given the lack of options for Team India. If he doesn’t bat at No.3 despite injury to Gill then Virat Kohli could be forced to move from No. 4, but the possibility of this happening is very slim.

“He is likely to bat at the No.3 spot now,” a source told the Times of India.

Padikkal made scores of 36, 88, 26, and 1 for India A during the Australia tour.

Harshit Rana could debut in Perth

The sources have also added that Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Harshit Rana could make his India debut in Perth. “Harshit was very impressive in the match simulation at Perth, especially while bowling his bouncers. There’s a good chance that he will make his India debut at Perth,” a source told TOI.

In 10 first-class matches so far, Rana has taken 43 wickets at an average of 24.00 and could form a fast-bowling trio with Bumrah and Akash Deep/Mohammed Siraj in Perth Test.

There are also rumours that Nitish Kumar Reddy could make his Test debut as well with India opting for three pacers, one seam-bowling all-rounder, and two spin-bowling all-rounders (R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja). However, there’s nothing concrete so far on Reddy’s potential debut.

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.