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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The ongoing three-match unofficial Test series between India A and Australia A has been riddled with heightened ball tampering accusations. Its been so far a difficult tour for the visitors as India A had to cope with a lot of blame and criticism from the fans and the officials for their alleged involvement in ball tampering in the first unofficial Test at Mackay.

The Indian side were visibly upset after seeing the umpires change the ball against their wishes. Ishan Kishan came under the scanner for his heated exchange with the umpire Shawn Craig and called his decision to change the ball "stupid". In response, Craig replied by cautioning the wicket-keeper batter that he would be on the report the following day for his offensive remarks. 

Fortunately, Ishan Kishan was spared by Cricket Australia and the match officials for that match and no sanction was applied on him. However, this move was later criticized by former Aussie opener David Warner questioned the umpire's decision to change the ball. 

So what's all the fuss again with the ball?

In the second unofficial Test, India A players were once again caught in the eye of a storm for a rather less offensive ball-related incident in Melbourne. In this recent video, players could be seen having a chat with the umpires about a particular substance that was found on the ball. As per the commentators on air at that time, the substance that could have been on the ball may have been mud or some sort of an artificial substance like white paint. 

pic.twitter.com/kVMQYjAC0K

— A (@cricketvf) November 8, 2024

Nevertheless, the exchange was by no means a welcoming one as India A pacer Prasidh Krishna was seen visibly disturbed when he was asked to remove the mud under the supervision of the umpire. 

Where does the match stand?

Australia A bowlers have once again managed to get the better of the India A batters in the second Test. Australia A managed to secure a valuable 62-run lead, courtesy of a fighting 74 from the opener Marcus Harris. Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran failed to deliver with the bat yet again as India A were reduced to 73/5 at the end of day two's play in the second four-day game against Australia A on Friday.  

See also: Former Australian wicketkeeper accused India A of ball tampering

The upcoming T20I series between the India National Cricket Team and the Australia National Cricket Team will see a change in venue for the fifth and final match. Originally slated to be played in Hyderabad, the game has been shifted to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, as reported by Sportstar. This venue change is attributed to the upcoming elections in Hyderabad.

Scheduled immediately after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the five-match T20I series will take place on November 23, 26, 28, December 1, and 3. The initial venues for the matches were announced as Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Nagpur, and Hyderabad.

The decision to relocate the match was made due to the Telangana assembly elections, set to occur on November 30, with the vote counting scheduled for December 3, the same day as the 5th T20I match. Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) officials sought permission from the police department to host the match but were denied. A senior HCA official lamented, “The police department didn’t give us the requisite permission to host the match as on that day the counting will happen. It’s really unfortunate, but we can’t do much,” as quoted by Sportstar.

The HCA attempted to request a schedule change with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), proposing a reschedule to December 4. However, this request was declined by the BCCI, citing prior commitments, as the Australian team’s travel arrangements were already in place.

Bengaluru to Host 5th India vs. Australia T20I, Hyderabad Venue Change Due to Elections

The change in venue is a significant setback for Hyderabad, as preparations were in full swing, from the dressing room to seating arrangements, with expectations of a strong turnout for this much-anticipated match.

Australia has already announced its squad for the India series, with Matthew Wade named as the captain. Several key players, such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, Steve Smith, and Travis Head, have been included in the squad.

Australia’s T20I squad: Matthew Wade (capt), David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha.

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The calf problem that sidelined Ashton Agar during the ODI World Cup has resurfaced, casting doubt over his availability for the upcoming five-match Twenty20 International series between Australia and India, scheduled right after the tournament.

Agar sustained a calf tear during his preseason practice with the Western Australia Team, which consequently ruled him out of the South Africa T20Is in the latter part of August. He made a comeback in the inaugural ODI against South Africa in September but was soon benched due to discomfort. On top of this, he flew back home to welcome his first child.

In light of Agar’s unavailability for the World Cup in India, the selection committee has brought in batsman Marnus Labuschagne as his substitute. As Agar was focused on recovery and was looking forward to both the Marsh Cup and the India T20I series, this new injury has been a significant blow.

“With Agar being a nationally contracted player, we at WA Cricket will be coordinating closely with Cricket Australia to chart out his recovery process,” mentioned a statement from WACA.

It remains to be seen whether Agar will have ample recovery time to make it for the Perth Scorchers’ BBL opener on December 10 against the Melbourne Renegades. His form in the last season was underwhelming, securing just six wickets in 10 games.

Legendary India cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar believes the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a catalyst to reduce sledging in the India vs Australia contests.

The India vs Australia contest always produces high-octane drama. Be it with the bat, ball or through fielding, players of the two top sides have always given it their all. However, the batting great, believes that since the evolution of IPL, players from both the nations have understood the varied culture better, which has helped to reduce sledging in these contests.

“When two of the top-ranked teams play against each other, then sparks are bound to fly. However, since the IPL began, the animosity between players of the two teams has lessened considerably while the intensity hasn’t been reduced one bit and that’s how it should be. Sharing the same change room, and hotels and traveling to different venues over a period of six weeks to play has made the players get to know each other better, understand the different cultures and attitudes and approaches to the game,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

“While there will always be a bit of banter between players, the angry and sometimes vulgar exchanges are a thing of the past. Today, if there are any such issues, it’s invariably between players who don’t play the IPL and thus have a bit of resentment towards the Indian players who play against them. Some of them believe that their achievements are such that they should be getting more than the Indian player, who gets millions through the IPL.”

READ MORE: IND vs AUS: David Warner ruled out of remaining Tests due to injury

Sunil Gavaskar slams Pakistan cricketers for untoward comments

Gavaskar further slammed the media for ‘pulling players down’. His comments were particularly directed towards the online media. The batting great also minced no words as he said that the ex-Pakistan cricketers often bully the Indian players.

“What the following for the game also does is to make the media, especially the online media, look to get more eyeballs or followers and so anything to do with cricket and especially about Indian players gets into the public domain even if it actually belittles them. That’s the sad part especially when the views of those across the border get online in the Indian media.

“It’s almost a daily thing to hear some former player from across the border pulling down an Indian player and saying the Pakistani player is better. What these guys know is that they will immediately get a response from the Indian fans who will defend their favourite player and in doing so, increasing the followers of the former player from across the border,” Gavaskar added.

India currently lead the four-Test series 2-0.