Australia on Wednesday announced the Playing XI for the series opener against India at the Adelaide Oval. Skipper Tim Paine confirmed that Victoria batsman Marcus Harris will make his Test debut while Peter Handscomb will play ahead of vice-captain Mitchell Marsh.
Harris, who became the 456th male Test player for Australia, will open the batting alongside fellow Victorian Aaron Finch. The young batsman grabbed this opportunity following his terrific run in the Sheffield Shield with 501 runs at 71.50 from 5 matches.
This major change in the opening slot will allow Usman Khawaja to bat at No.3, followed by Shaun Marsh, Handscomb, Travis Head and captain Tim Paine in the middle-order.
On the other hand, skipping an all-rounder will leave the Aussies with only 4 speedsters—Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins—and lone spin option, Nathan Lyon.
Explaining Marsh's omission, Paine said, “We know he's good enough to be a great allrounder at Test level but hasn't quite put it together at Test level yet. We'll send him back to Shield, get some more cricket under his belt knowing at some stage we're probably going to need him.
Australia Playing XI:
Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c,wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood (vc)