The first Test between India and Australia will start at the VCA stadium in Maharashtra in just a few days. Currently, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy may still represent the world’s biggest Test rivalry. Australia has made some unusual moves to challenge the hosts on their home ground even if India is the favorite. The choice of the playing XI continues to be one of the biggest problems for the Indian squad, but former cricketer Wasim Jaffer has made an effort to help by choosing the XI he would want to see in the series opener.
Jaffer chose KL Rahul as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner instead of Shubman Gill, who is undoubtedly the batter in the world and is in the best shape right now. At Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli were chosen, while Gill was chosen as a middle-order hitter at No. 5.
Ishan Kishan wasn’t Jaffer’s first choice for wicket-keeper; he ultimately chose KS Bharat. The dependable spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin naturally gained a place in the selection, but Axar Patel was left out. Jaffer chose Kuldeep Yadav as his replacement for the team. The XI’s two pacers were Mohammed Shaim and Mohammed Siraj.
My India XI for First Test:
1. Rohit (c)
2. KL
3. Pujara
4. Virat
5. Shubman
6. Bharat (wk)
7. Jadeja
8. Ashwin
9. Kuldeep
10. Shami
11. Siraj
Hard to leave out Axar but Kuldeep brings variety as a wrist spinner.
What’s your XI? #INDvAUS #BorderGavaskarTrophy
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 6, 2023
