Australia will look to continue their strong form in the Test arena in February, with a four-game series scheduled away from home against India.
After making light work of West Indies and South Africa, the top-ranked Test side will face a much tougher task when they head overseas and look to win their first series in India since 2004.
Pat Cummins will lead the Aussies in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, while the likes of Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc will be racing the clock to be fit for the series opener on February 9th.
KL Rahul is set to captain the host nation in the massive series, while the likes of Virat Kohli and a returning Jasprit Bumrah should also be in action.
Here’s who is expected to line up for both Australia and India in the Test series.
Don’t expect to see too many changes in the Australian squad, with a dominant home summer and plenty of in-form players allowing for a balanced set-up. Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson have their noses in front of Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann for the secondary spinner roles, while the likes of Lance Morris and Michael Neser are expected to miss out as seamers. Matt Renshaw will fly to India after making a long-awaited return to the Test arena and could slot in the top or middle order. Marcus Harris will also likely be involved despite not featuring during the home summer.
Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green are touch-and-go for the series opener against India, after both players suffered finger injuries during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa. Their potential absences will likely be filled by the same men who stepped up for Sydney in the form of Renshaw and Agar, with the Aussies expected to go with a two-pronged spin attack and just two seamers. Green would replace Renshaw in the side if he is fit for the second Test.
Jasprit Bumrah is the major change expected to the Indian squad for the series against Australia, after the tearaway quick was confirmed to return from injury for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Ajinkya Rahane has been in strong first-class form as he pushes for a Test recall, but is unlikely to crack the final side at this stage. Rishabh Pant is unlikely to feature during the series after being involved in a car accident in December, with back-up keeper Srikar Bharat expected to take his spot.
Bumrah is likely to come straight into the final side, putting the likes of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini in a battle for the other main seam option. India will likely go into the match with two front-line spinners, as both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to feature prominently throughout the series.
