India Vs Australia 2nd Test: Rohit Sharma Returns As India Opts To Bat First In Adelaide

In the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India made three changes to their lineup. Rohit Sharma returned as captain, with Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin also joining the team. The day-night match began on December 6 at Adelaide Oval, with India choosing to bat first.

Rohit Sharma, who missed the previous Test due to personal reasons, rejoined the squad. Alongside him, Shubman Gill and Ravichandran Ashwin were included as India aimed for another win after leading 1-0 in the five-Test series against Australia.

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

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

The Indian team replaced Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar with the returning trio. For Australia, Scott Boland was brought in to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood in their lineup.

During the toss, Rohit Sharma expressed confidence in batting first on a pitch that appeared good and dry with some grass cover. He mentioned that "There will be something in it for everyone."

Rohit shared insights on his preparation and team morale: "I have been here for two weeks now. Ready to go now. The mood is good, pretty vibrant. What the boys did in Perth was superb. It is a long series; we will try and do most things right."

"The fast bowlers are happy with the break. We want to carry from where we left. We have made 3 changes. I am back; Gill is back. Ashwin is back. I am batting in the middle order," he added.

Australian captain Pat Cummins commented on their preparations: "It is always good to have a fresh start. Pink ball can be a little bit different. It has been a really good preparation. It is pretty muggy today. Just one change. Josh Hazlewood misses out; Scott Boland comes in."

The Adelaide Test presents an opportunity for India to build on their strong performance from the first Test under Jasprit Bumrah's leadership.

The visitors also aim to overcome memories of their lowest Test score of 36 runs during the infamous 2020 Adelaide pink-ball Test when Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood dismantled India's batting lineup.