India opt to bat against Australia, Rohit to play in middle order

Rohit, Gill and Ashwin return to the playing XI, replacing Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar

Adelaide: India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat in the pink ball Test against Australia here on Friday. India made three changes with Rohit, Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin returning to the playing XI, replacing Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar.

For Australia, Scott Boland replaced injured pace-bowling colleague Josh Hazlewood. India lead the five-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Perth by 295 runs. “I’m batting in the middle order, which is different but I’m ready for the challenge. I have been here for two weeks now. Ready to go now,” Rohit said at the toss.

---

“What the boys did in Perth was superb. It’s a long series, we’ll try and do most things right. The fast bowlers are happy (with the break). We want to carry from where we left. “Looks like a good pitch, looks a bit dry at the moment, enough grass covering as well. There will be something in it for everyone.” The teams:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

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