AUS vs IND: Australia’s probable playing XI for the 1st Test

Australia and India will play the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy starting from December 17, at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide. It will be a day-night affair. With so many injured players in their line-up, it will be a tough task for Tim Paine to finalize the playing XI. That said, here’s Australia’s Probable XI for the first Test vs India:

Joe Burns

Queensland opener Joe Burns is likely to start in the Day/Night Test at Adelaide, even after not being in very impressive form post the COVID-19 lockdown. David Warner’s groin injury in the 2nd ODI has ruled him out of the 1st Test, while Will Pucovski suffered a concussion in the first practice match. Burns has scores of 4,0,0 against India and India A in the last 3 innings, and it will be an uphill task for him to perform against this in-form bowling lineup.

Should Australia leave out Joe Burns for the first Test? His last eight first class knocks have only returned 55 runs including three ducks… pic.twitter.com/xeM3aBgY1n

— Triple M Cricket (@triplemcricket) December 14, 2020

Marcus Harris

Victoria opener Marcus Harris is most likely going to pair up with Burns at the top, forming a left-right combination. Although Harris was troubled by the Indian pacers in the previous tour, he was the top run-getter for the Aussies in that series- 258 runs in 8 innings @36.86. A good performance here could seal his place as the 2nd opener once Warner is fit. He also scored a double ton against South Australia in the domestic season.

Marnus Labuschange

Marnus has been one of the most exciting players to watch out for over the last year. His rise in Test Cricket has been unreal since the Ashes, and he has complimented his idol, Steve Smith, brilliantly. He averages a mind-boggling 82 batting at number 3 in Test Cricket. However, he is yet to face the full brunt of the Indian pace attack, as he only played 1 innings last time around in Sydney.

Steve Smith

World No.1 Test batsman Steve Smith will finally be up against his favourite opposition in Test Cricket after he was not available last time around. He is expected to be among the top run-getters this season due to his current form and familiarity with the conditions. India certainly considers him as the most prized wicket, and it shall be interesting to see what plans they come up with to counter his prowess.

Steve Smith’s

Test Average against India

In 1st Inning – 154.16
In 2nd Inning – 70.50
In 3rd Inning – 43.85
In 4th Inning – 28.00#INDvsAUS

— CricBeat (@Cric_beat) December 11, 2020

Matthew Wade

While Cameron Green was expected to make his debut against India, his injury shall open the door for Wade to claim a place in this highly competitive Australia XI. He had a decent time in the Ashes, and he followed it up with a couple of good knocks in the home summer. He has 3 50+ scores in the last 4 first-class innings- 10, 59, 83, 57*. This means that his form isn’t an area of concern as such.

Travis Head

It was interesting to see Head leading Australia A in the first warm-up match against India A, even though Tim Paine was playing. Australia are possibly grooming him as a future Test captain, and he is expected to get a go in the first Test under lights. He has a good Test record at home, and he would want to seal his place in the team once and for all.

Tim Paine (c) (wk)

Tim Paine has led Australia brilliantly even after the comeback of star players David Warner and Steve Smith in the Test team. He has maintained his team’s position at the top of the World Test Championship, with 82%. Paine got some valuable game time in the first practice match, notching a crucial 50.

Pat Cummins

Australia vice-captain and no.1 Test bowler in the world, Cummins is the leader of this feared pace attack. He loves playing against India and has an excellent record against Virat Kohli in this form of the game. His record with the pink ball is also highly impressive- 19 wickets in 4 games @18.57.

Mitchell Starc

Starc seemed off-colour in the ODI series, as he didn’t take any wickets upfront besides being highly expensive. However, Starc loves bowling with the pink ball, and has the most wickets in Day-Night Tests- 42 wickets in 7 games @19.23. He did not have a very impressive series the last time India toured Australia, and he would be looking to make amends.

Mitchell Starc Bowling figures

Daytime Tests
196 wkts in 48 games
AVG: 28.6
S/RATE: 50.6

Day-Night Tests
42 wkts in 7 games
AVG: 19.2
S/RATE: 35.7

@cricketcomau #AUSvNZ

— Swamp (@sirswampthing) December 15, 2019

Josh Hazelwood

Hazelwood impressed everyone in the recently concluded ODI series, where he troubled the Indian batsmen with his spot-on line and lengths, giving nothing away to free themselves up. He is one of the most underrated fast bowlers around, and an excellent complement to Cummins and Starc- thereby forming a lethal trio of fast bowling.

Nathan Lyon

Nathan ‘Gazza’ Lyon continues to perform for Australia in the longest format of the game. He has been the architect of many crucial wins against India. He is sure to start, and he will look to give Kohli and his men a tough time out there. Lyon has also taken the most wickets by a spinner in Day/Night Tests- 28 in 7 matches @25.96.