Devdutt Padikkal to replace Shubman Gill in 1st Test match; added to Test squad: Reports

In an interesting turn of events, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have added young batter Devdutt Padikkal to India's squad ahead of the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024. Reports suggest that due to Shubman Gill's tragic injury, Padikkal was included in the squad. As the game is just two days away, Padikkal was seen practising with the team in the net sessions. 

During the practice match, he even batted at No. 3, which is just making the mystery clear for the first Test match. Padikkal made his debut for the Indian team against England earlier this year and did significantly well in the series. Trying him out in Australia might be risky since he lacks experience, but against Australia A, he did really well, scoring 124 runs in two innings. This might be the reason why the management has shown faith in him and included him in the team. 

Even Rohit Sharma is set to miss the first test match for personal reasons and hasn't joined the team yet. Hence, KL Rahul will open the innings for India alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. The left-right combination will be well-suited for the team. The openers will play a huge role in the series, and if they shine, the pressure will fall back on Australia. India will aim to trouble the hosts, which has been doing for a while now. 

Abhimanyu Easwaran to miss out on first Test match against Australia

After years of waiting, the time and circumstances were perfect for Abhimanyu Easwaran to make his debut for India. However, the management had different plans altogether for the Australia series. Even after scoring tons of runs in the domestic set-up, Easwaran isn't given a chance to showcase his skills in the foreign land. Instead, the Board has decided to move forward with KL Rahul, who has more experience in overseas conditions. 

The topic of discussion around this is debatable, but if we look at the stats, it inclined towards Easwaran's inclusion in the first Test match. The player scored four tons in the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy. In the Irani Cup, the player scored 191 runs and missed out on a double-century. His scores speak for themselves, but the wait to represent the country will continue for some time now.