Key posts
WICKET – Jaiswal out first ball
That is absolute dead in front. There’s no point reviewing this. Mitchell Starc has produced an absolute gem with the first ball of the game.
He bowled full, the ball swung and Yashasvi Jaiswal fell over, as they say, and was unable to negotiate the movement. It’s an absolute beauty by Starc.
Jaiswal, wisely, chooses not to review, tucks the bat under the arm and heads back to the sheds for a golden globe.
What a start for Australia!
The teams
As revealed yesterday, just the one change to the Australia team. Cult hero Scott Boland is in for the injured Josh Hazlewood.
India have made three changes to the team that walloped Australia in Perth. Skipper Rohit Sharma is back, but batting at No.6 instead of his usual position at the top of the order. Shubman Gill comes in at No.3 and master spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returns. Out go spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar, top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal and wicketkeeper/batter Dhruv Jurel.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma (c), Nitesh Kumar Reddy, R Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Rohit Sharma made a successful return to the India Test side. He won the toss.Credit: Getty Images
Why Cummins would have loved to win the toss
By Tom Decent
If Australia bowl well and can dismiss India, there’s every chance they’ll be under lights tonight. Sunset is at 8:19pm Adelaide time, which is 49 minutes into the final session. Australia’s XI as expected, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin coming in for India.
India win toss, batting first
India captain Rohit Sharma calls heads – and it’s a head. He’ll have a bat.
Pat Cummins says he would have batted first as well, but he doesn’t seem overly fussed.
The combination of the overcast skies and a first-day pitch should provide assistance for the bowlers. It won’t be a walk in the park for India’s openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul.
Some pre-Test reading
The scenes from Adelaide
By Tom Decent
Interesting to note out in the middle that Mitch Marsh is having a bowl next to the square. The Aussies have maintained all week that he’d be OK to roll the arm over if required. Doesn’t look too sore and ball coming down at a reasonable click. Don’t expect him to bowl loads of overs but having the option is handy.
Welcome
Hello to everyone wherever you might be in this world.
After 11 days of hand-wringing around the country, the Australian men’s Test team finally get a chance to do something about it in Adelaide.
Conditions are warm, overcast and humid at my favourite Test venue in Australia, Adelaide Oval.
We’ll have the two teams’ starting XIs and the toss in about 10 minutes’ time.
