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The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is contested by India and Australia, commences on the 17th of December with a Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval.
India enter the game at a clear disadvantage, as they have played only one Test - against Bangladesh - with the pink ball. Australia, on the other hand, were the first to embrace the newest innovation in the longest format of the game, and have brushed aside the opposition in all 7 games they've been part of.
India won't be at full strength throughout the 4-Test series, as captain Virat Kohli is set to leave for home after the first game and Rohit Sharma is slated to miss at least the first two matches.
Here is a look at India's predicted playing XI for the 1st Test against Australia.
Openers: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill
India will be without Rohit Sharma's services for at least the first two Tests, and in his absence, the only opener who is definitely going to be part of the playing XI is Mayank Agarwal. The Karnataka-born batsman played the pink-ball warm-up game, and scored a gritty fifty in the second innings to put his position at the top of the order beyond doubt.
Agarwal showed excellent application on his last tour of Australia, and his airtight defence - along with his ability to take the attack to the spinners - will serve India well in this series.
There are a few contenders who could walk out at Adelaide alongside Agarwal - Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul.
Rahul is in the form of his life, and is right in the scheme of things in all 3 formats. However, the fact that he didn't take place in either warm-up game leads us to believe that he will walk into the team as a replacement for Virat Kohli and will not be part of the XI for the 1st Test. It is also worth noting that he hasn't crossed 50 in his last 12 innings in Tests, and last played red ball cricket for India in August 2019.
Shaw and Gill had what appeared to be a straight shoot-off for the second opener's spot in the warm-up games, the latter definitely edged ahead with solid knocks in the second match.
Shaw has been in disastrous nick over the last few months, and the only thing in his favour is the 40-odd he scored in the first innings of the second warm-up game. The stocky opener didn't look at ease against the moving ball, and wasn't tested by balls aimed at his body by the Australia A quicks.
Gill, on the other hand, showed a solid technique, and was confident against the pacers he faced. Assured against the bouncers and knowing exactly where his off-stump is, the 21-year-old from Punjab is in prime position to make his Test debut.
The management might have an eye on the future, as Gill can slot into the middle order when Rohit returns but Shaw can't.
Middle Order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk)
Cheteshwar Pujara was India's top-scorer in their historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph Down Under in 2018-19, and he'll arguably be the country's most important batsman once again. The No. 3 notched up a fifty in the first warm-up game, and has shown the ability to shine at the Test stage despite not playing much top-level cricket otherwise.
Captain Virat Kohli will be part of the Indian squad only for the 1st Test, after which he'll return to India for the birth of his first child. The 32-year-old will want to lead from the front and get his team off to a solid start in what is undoubtedly going to be a challenging series. He will have a number of mini-battles against the likes of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood, all of whom have proven themselves up to the task of facing up to him in the past.
Ajinkya Rahane was one of the standout batsmen from the A games, and his hundred would've given him and his team plenty of confidence. The 1st Test will be crucial for India's vice-captain, who'll take over the reins from Virat Kohli for the final three games of the series. Batting at No. 5, Rahane will probably have to ensure that India get through the twilight period intact.
Hanuma Vihari hasn't been in great form in Test cricket, and hasn't played a lot of cricket in the recent past after not finding a buyer in the Indian Premier League auction. However, the 27-year-old will be absolutely vital to India's fortunes in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with his batting at No. 6 and handy off-breaks. Fresh off a century in the pink-ball warm-up game, he will want to seal his spot in the XI with KL Rahul knocking on his door.
Two days ago, Wriddhiman Saha was the odds-on favourite to be behind the stumps for India in the Test series. But in all likelihood, Rishabh Pant has snatched the spot away from the 36-year-old with a blistering hundred in the second warm-up game. The southpaw scored 350 runs and took 20 catches on his last Test tour of Australia and he'll take confidence from the ton, which broke a rather long lean patch.
Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
With Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj performing well in the warm-up games, India might be tempted to go in with four pacers to make the most of the movement the pink ball offers. But that would a major risk to take, and they are likely to go with the sole spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin.
The off-spinner's overseas record is far from flattering, and spinners in general haven't had much success with the pink ball. Ashwin might take a cue from Nathan Lyon, who has managed to put massive revs on the ball to strike under the lights. His batting, which has been on the wane over the last few years, might also need to come to the fore.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are the leaders of the Indian pace attack across all three formats, and not much needs to be said about their inclusion in the Indian playing XI.
The third seamer's spot is likely to be taken up by Umesh Yadav, who was superb in the first warm-up game. The Vidarbha-born pacer has been a staple of the Indian Test team over the last couple of years, and has managed to provide regular breakthroughs on pitches that don't offer much assistance.
Capable of bowling unplayable deliveries apart from being a handy contributor with the bat and in the field, Yadav will need to step up and support his more illustrious pace-bowling peers. Saini and Siraj, both of whom are excellent backup options, are likely to get a look in if the 33-year-old fails to impress in the 1st Test.
