IND vs AUS, Boxing Day Test: India Announce Playing XI; Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj To Make Debut

Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj will make their Test debuts as India announced their playing XI for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Indian announced their playing XI for the Boxing Day Test against Australia, starting on Saturday in Melbourne. Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj will make their Test debut. India made four changes - two of them forced - to their playing XI which lost in Adelaide. Gill replaced an out-of-form Prithvi Shaw and will open the batting with Mayank Agarwal. Rishabh Pant replaced Wriddhiman Saha as the wicket-keeper-batsman of the side while right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj replaced Mohammed Shami, who was ruled out with a wrist fracture.

India Playing XI for 2nd Test against Australia:

Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit  Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

JUST IN: India announce their playing XI for the Boxing Day Test ????

???? Shubman Gill, Mohammad Siraj to debut ???? Ravindra Jadeja ???? as the all-rounder ???? Rishabh Pant to take the gloves pic.twitter.com/RwjDS4j1X5 — ICC (@ICC) December 25, 2020

Mayank Agarwal will most likely have a new opening partner in Gill even as Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahane and Hanuma Vihari occupy the middle-order slots. While skipper Virat Kohli is out of the series, the team has been given a big boost in the form of Ravindra Jadeja who has been declared fit. Jadeja had suffered a hamstring injury while he was batting in the first T20I in Canberra before suffering a concussion that saw him being substituted for Yuzvendra Chahal. After passing his fitness test on Thursday, Jadeja has been included in the Indian squad for the Boxing Day Test and has been included in the eleven. Jadeja has been drafted in the No. 7 position as an all-rounder. His inclusion, however, hasn't come in place of Hanuma Vihari, who has retained his spot in the team despite the poor show with the bat in Adelaide.