Perth Test: India wins toss against Australia, opts to bat first in BGT opener

India’s stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and chose to bat first against Australia in the opening Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Optus Stadium on Friday.

The match features three debutants: all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and right-arm seamer Harshit Rana for India, and Nathan McSweeney for Australia.

“We are going to bat first; it looks like a good wicket. We are very confident in our preparation. Having played a Test match here in 2018, we know what to expect. The wicket tends to quicken up. Nitish makes his debut. We have four pacers, and Washi (Washington Sundar) is the lone spinner,” Bumrah said at the toss.

Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins expressed satisfaction with the toss outcome. “We were 50-50 either way, so we’re pretty happy. The team feels fresh and well-prepared. Any format we play against India is fiercely contested. Nathan McSweeney will debut at the top of the order,” Cummins stated.

Playing XI:

India: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.