India captain Rohit Sharma hits six runs during the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The ghost of 36 All-Out will haunt India as they get ready to face Australia in the second Test of the five-match series at the Adelaide Oval from the 6th of December. India were routed for 36 in the second innings in the series opener in Adelaide on their last tour Down Under in 2021. Although, they staged a dramatic comeback and went on to win that series and have already taken a 1-0 lead in the current series with the historic victory at Perth, India will seek redemption for what transpired with the Pink Ball three years ago at the picturesque venue. The big question for RG is how they should equip themselves in terms of personnel to have the best option of doing so.
Who Should Open?
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are certain to make a return to the playing XI in Adelaide at the expense of Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel. Does that mean that India push KL Rahul down the order despite his record-breaking stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal at Perth? The 201-run stand was the first double-hundred partnership by an Indian opening pair in Australia! That is no mean achievement! Yes, the pitch did ease but it was still a Perth wicket which had enough in it for the fast bowlers to work on.
More than the runs, what stood out was the manner in which Rahul and Jaiswal applied themselves and blunted a world-class Australian pace attack in their own backyard, playing text-book conventional Test cricket, consuming 383 deliveries between them in the second innings. Will displacing Rahul down the order not disturb his rhythm again?
But here is the counter argument. Rohit has very poor numbers in his last five Tests crossing fifty just once in 10 innings. He is woefully out of form and will have to face the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scot Boland against the Pink Ball – which is much harder than facing a brand new red-cherry – in a day-night fixture in Adelaide. He was dismissed for just 3 against the Pink Ball in the practice fixture against Australia’s Prime Minister XI. Given the above context, will it be prudent for the Indian captain to open the innings or push himself down the order to maybe number 5?
That way Rahul and Jaiswal continue to open, Gill bats at number three, Kohli at number 4 and Rohit at number 5.
Does Ashwin Come in for Sundar?
Washington Sundar’s selection ahead of R Ashwin at Perth was surprising – yes, he was in brilliant form in the home series against New Zealand but the latter is an all-time great and one bad series cannot negate that record. Moreover, Ashwin bagged four wickets in the 2021 Pink Ball Test in Adelaide which included the wickets of Travis Head and Steven Smith, and helped India securing a lead in the first innings. The off spinner also played a significant role in India’s sensational comeback in the MCG Test. Ashwin also has a brilliant record against three left-handed batters in Australia’s line-up – Head, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey.
Sundar was unimpressive in Perth – both with the bat and ball and does not merit a place in the XI ahead of the great off-spinner.
Is There a Place For Jadeja Too?
Nitish Kumar Reddy was impressive in his debut Test. Not only did he top-score for India with an invaluable 41 in their first innings’ total of 150 but also chipped in with a quick 38 in the second. He also got the wicket of Mitchell Marsh in the second innings. Although there is much scope of improvement in the bowling department, Reddy did enough in Perth with the bat to cement his place as the batting all-rounder in Adelaide. The Pink Ball may also suit his style of bowling more than the other all-rounder in the Indian contingent – Ravindra Jadeja.
No changes are expected in India’s fast-bowling arsenal for Adelaide. The trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana were outstanding in the opener and will enjoy bowling with the Pink Ball.
India’s ideal XI for Adelaide:
- KL Rahul
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Rohit Sharma
- Rishabh Pant
- R Ashwin
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
- Harshit Rana
Nikhil Narain is a die-hard cricket romantic, published author, and has worked for some of the leading digital websites and broadcasters in India and overseas. An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Nikhil's forte is using data and numbers creatively to weave interesting stories and revolutionize the way cricket statistics are generated and analyzed.
