Australia has officially announced the 13-member squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test against India. Among the selected players are two uncapped individuals, Josh Inglis and Nathan McSweeney, who have earned their call-up to the team. The squad has been finalized, with much anticipation surrounding who will partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. Several players were considered for this role, including McSweeney, Sam Kontas, Cameron Bancroft, and Marcus Harris. Ultimately, Australia has chosen to back McSweeney, who showcased his abilities in the recent practice games against India A, scoring consistently in challenging conditions.
Josh Inglis has also secured his place in the squad after delivering impressive performances in the Shield matches this year, scoring centuries in each game. His selection may come as a surprise to some, as Australia typically prioritizes adding backup bowlers rather than additional batters to the squad.
Australia selector George Bailey has expressed confidence in the squad, describing it as well-balanced. Regarding McSweeney, Bailey believes that the 25-year-old has the potential to excel if given the opportunity to make his Test debut in Perth.
“Nathan has displayed the attributes we believe will equip him well for Test cricket along with a strong recent record in domestic cricket,” Bailey said as quoted by ICC.
“His performances for South Australia and Australia A weighed in his favour and supports our view he is ready for the opportunity at Test level. Similarly, Josh has been in great touch in the Sheffield Shield competition and deserves his place in his first Test squad. Scott has been a top-level performer when given the opportunity at Test level and remains a valued member of the squad," he added.
Australia squad for 1st Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed
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