India will start from zero when they take on Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia in Perth on Friday (November 20). Having lost to New Zealand 0-3 at home recently, a 4-0 win against Australia on Australian soil looks a distant dream for India, which is an absolute necessity for the visitors for a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, set to take place next year.
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While Australia will be taking the field in full strength, India will be without the services of captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill in Perth. Rohit is currently on a paternity leave and is expected to join before the second Test in Adelaide. As far as Gill is concerned, the right-handed batter suffered a thumb injury while fielding during a training session and is likely to be sidelined for around two weeks.
However, the Perth sky wore a gloomy look on Thursday and is expected to experience rain later on the day. According to AccuWeather.com, there are 20 per cent chances of rain on the opening day of the Test match (November 22). The weather forecast for the remaining days are sunny with no chances of rain.
With the rain forecast on Thursday, the toss will play a crucial role in the game as it will leave the playing strip damp in Day 1 morning. Winning the toss and bowling first would be ideal for both captains unless they have other strategies.
India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, R Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah (C) Mohammed Siraj.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon.
The first Test between India and Australia will be played at the multispecialty Optus Stadium in Perth. The IND vs AUS first Test starts at 7:50 AM Indian Standard Time (IST). Star Sports are the official broadcasters of India's tour of Australia. The India vs Australia first Test will be telecast live on Star Sports channels. Live streaming of India vs Australia first Test will be available on Disney+ Hotstar on a subscription based model. Viewers can also catch the highlights of India vs Astralia Tests on Jio Cinema app and website.
