Former India National Cricket Team head coach Ravi Shastri has made some striking revelations in his playing Xl as India gears up to face off against Australia in the first Test in Perth. The commentator-turned-coach recently made his India playing XI public just before the start of the much-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. 

Ravi Shastri's predicted XI (in Rohit Sharma's absence): Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.

Nitish Reddy set to make his red-bal debut for India

Shastri claims that pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy has every possibility of making his maiden Test appearance for India in the first BGT Test. As per Shastri, the aspiring all-rounder can be seen as a highly useful commodity and who can play a valuable supporting role along with three primary pacers Bumrah, Siraj & Akash Deep on pacey Australian decks. Moreover, the former India head coach holds a strong opinion on Nitish Reddy and feels that he can replicate a part of what Shardul managed to achieve in the earlier BGT Test series. 

"I think the three I would pick straight away is Aakash Deep, (Mohammed) Siraj, and Bumrah and then they (selectors) have to see the balance. Do they want two spinners? Do they want to risk going in with two spinners or do they want to take Nitesh Reddy? Nitesh Reddy will have to do a job like Shardul Thakur did as the fourth seamer."

Ravi Shastri further stressed including one spin bowling all-rounder in the form of Washington or Jadeja and refrain from the risk of fielding two frontline spinners.

Shastri throws light on bolstering India's batting department   

With Rohit's absence from the first Test becoming increasingly likely with every passing day, India needs an astute batter to support Jaiswal and Gill at the top. In order to facilitate this change, Shastri advises Gill to move down the order to number 3. The management will have to then take a bold call to either select KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran who have been originally drafted into the squad as designated openers. 

"That's a tough one and selectors have a choice. You can push Shubman (Gill) back up the order and he has opened in the past in Australia. Otherwise, you'll have to then make an alternative. Easwaran hasn't done that well (for India A in Australia). But it's how he's batting in the nets, how Rahul is batting in the nets. But that Shubman Gill option is also there."

Moreover, in Shastri's view, India's top-order wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel can come in as a frontline batter who can be handy with his keeping skills. Although Pant has permanently sealed the spot of the wicket-keeper batsman, Jurel has demonstrated tremendous maturity with the bat in recent times.  

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