New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) Australia captain Pat Cummins has won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, here on Friday.
After winning the toss, Cummins said Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc are not featuring in the match, with left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann making his Test debut, becoming the 466th Men’s Test cricketer for Australia. He was presented with his cap by right-handed batter Marnus Labuschagne.
Left-handed batter Travis Head comes in for Matthew Renshaw while Kuhnemann comes in for pacer Scott Boland. “The middle looks like there’s grass but bare at both ends. Plenty of turn there, will be a good Test. It’s got a little bit of a rough. We have to bounce back and everyone is raring to go,” added Cummins.
India skipper Rohit Sharma stated middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer comes into the playing eleven in place of Suryakumar Yadav. “The pitch is dry and obviously batting first would have been ideal. But the kind of application we showed last game took the toss factor away and that is what will be required here.”
“It’s important when you’re playing in India, you shouldn’t worry about the toss factor too much. That’s the chat in the group as well.”
The match also marks the 100th Test appearance of top-order batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who is the 13th Indian cricketer to reach the milestone. “Absolutely, we’re all thrilled for him and it’s a big occasion and his family is here. Hundred Test matches is not easy but he has stuck to his plan and he has come a long way,” added Rohit.
India are currently leading four-match series 1-0, having won the first Test in Nagpur by an innings and 132 runs within three days.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann
–IANS
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