And then there were four.
After plenty of speculation about how many changes will made in the aftermath of the Adelaide debacle, India have announced that they will be making four changes to the XI for the second match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The management has handed debuts to young opener Shubman Gill and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj Friday for the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne.
They were among four changes to the team that crashed by eight wickets in the first Test at Adelaide last week, when they were bowled out for their lowest ever score of 36.
Gill comes in for the out-of-form Prithvi Shaw, who made 0 and 4 in Adelaide, while Siraj replaces pace spearhead Mohammed Shami, who is reportedly nursing a fractured wrist.
The explosive Rishabh Pant takes over from Wriddhiman Saha as wicketkeeper while experienced allrounder Ravindra Jadeja is back from injury to strengthen their bowling attack.
Captain Virat Kohli will not play the remaining three Tests, with Ajinkya Rahane taking over as skipper and Cheteshwar Pujara acting as his deputy.
Australia, on the other hand, are expected to retain the same playing XI that won the match in Adelaide with David Warner still not fit to return.
India XI for Melbourne: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Here are some reactions as India confirmed their playing XI a day before the Test for a second match on the trot:
The absence of Shami and Ishant means they feel the need for a 5th bowler which is either an admission that they don't trust 4 or that they expect the track to turn later. Since Jadeja cannot play at 6 in Australia, it means sacrificing the keeper for someone who can bat (cont)
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 25, 2020
A Christmas present we were all waiting for 💜
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) December 25, 2020
Our boy @RealShubmanGill is all set to make his Test debut in the iconic Boxing Day Test at the MCG!#ToofaniFans, how excited are you? 💜 #AUSvIND #ShubmanGill #KKR #Test #Cricket pic.twitter.com/nKSgWaF3tF
Our ⭐ Mohammed Siraj will make his Test debut for 🇮🇳 in the Boxing Day Test at the big 'G' tomorrow! 🙌🏻
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) December 25, 2020
Good luck, Champ👊#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/mRyTeA428l
two years ago, india won a memorable boxing day test...7 of that 11 will feature this time too....most of them - pujara, bumrah, agarwal, jadeja, pant - produced strong performances in that game. #AUSvsIND
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) December 25, 2020
The thought while picking this particular batting combination must be:
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 25, 2020
Shubman+Pant+Jadeja > Kohli+Shaw+Saha.
And you get wickets and gun fielding from Jadeja. #AusvInd
Who will Rohit Sharma replace in Test 3?
— Naomi Datta (@nowme_datta) December 25, 2020
Shubman Gill will make his Test debut tomorrow on the back of an average of 68.78 in first-class cricket. It is the highest f-c average to earn Test cap for India since Vinod Kambli (88.37) made his debut in 1993. #AusvInd
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) December 25, 2020
Mohammed Siraj will be the 11th Indian pacer to make debut in an away Test in the last 20 years.
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) December 25, 2020
Only three of the previous 10 went on to bag 50 Test wickets: Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma & Jasprit Bumrah.
Last Test appearance of 6 others came inside a year from debut. #AUSvIND
Thought they gonna stick to 2 changes. Ended up being 4 😲😲 https://t.co/60yyDUZfUa
— Complan Gael (@__ImPK) December 25, 2020
Indian team for second Test is clearly an ‘under pressure’ selection. A bit like England, trying to cover all bases. Selection done, it’s execution time now...Good luck India! #BoxingDayTest on @SonySportsIndia
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 25, 2020
Good that India are going with the 11 I wanted them to. This is the best balance with the resources they have.. https://t.co/rkFdRrhI2K
— Gaurav Sundararaman (@gaurav_sundar) December 25, 2020
While it appears weaker on batting, no change would’ve been a like for like for Kohli. I personally like it. They’ve corrected a couple of mistakes from Adelaide. And I like that they’ve persisted with Vihari. Hope they do well. https://t.co/ZR12So0LJ5 https://t.co/G4CYAj3SPY
— Raunak Kapoor (@RaunakRK) December 25, 2020
I am so happy for Siraj, lost his father, stayed back with the team in Australia, knowing very little opportunity to play but he is making his Test debut tomorrow.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 25, 2020
Hard work, Determination, Siraj.
Gill and Pant should have played first Test too. Makes the mgmt look lost to play Shaw, Saha only for a game. Hope they have been clearly told what's the roadmap for them. Especially Shaw.
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) December 25, 2020
Good luck to this side! Go well, Gill, Siraj! https://t.co/6DBR5a1iSX
What did Saha do to deserve being dropped?
— Rick Eyre on cricket (@rickeyrecricket) December 25, 2020
Navdeep Saini came close to getting a Test cap in Christchurch. Might have been ahead of Umesh Yadav for a Test spot when India landed here. But will have to wait now post an ordinary ODI series & of course Mohammad Siraj’s really impressive outings in the warm-up games #AUSvIND
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) December 25, 2020
It’s a better balanced team, though thinner on paper in batting. Chuffed about Gill. https://t.co/saaMsSVWTq
— Sambit Bal (@sambitbal) December 25, 2020
Saha played perhaps because of the pink ball angle. Maybe the plan was to go back to Pant anyway. We won't know, of course.
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) December 25, 2020
Siraj and Gill to be our test mainstays for years to come hopefully.
— JackBo ManHorse (@basedIITian) December 25, 2020
Shubman Gill to make his Test debut after averaging 68.78 in 23 first class matches.
— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) December 25, 2020
Only four Indian players had a higher average in FCC at the time of India debut.
88.37 Vinod Kambli (27 mat)
81.23 Praveen Amre (23)
71.28 Rusi Modi (38)
70.18 Sachin Tendulkar (9)#AUSvIND