Australia announced a strong 18-man lineup led by captain Pat Cummins, for their upcoming four-match Test series against India, which begins on February 9. The last three Border-Gavaskar Trophy editions have been won by India, and with them hosting it this time after 2017, Rohit Sharma & Co. will be optimistic, but Pat Cummins-led Aussies have been in excellent form of late and will undoubtedly pose a serious challenge to Team India. The series is significant because the ICC World Test Championship final will be held in June 2023. India and Australia are set to battle at the summit.
Australia has included up to four spinners. Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson, and uncapped spinner Todd Murphy have been appointed to the 18-man team for the games in Nagpur, New Delhi, Dharamshala, and Ahmedabad. The series will be followed by three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) before the start of the IPL 2023. It should be noted that this will be the last BGT with four Tests, as subsequent editions will include five matches.
Australia’s Test team for India is as follows
Head selector George Bailey spoke extensively about the retention of Ashton Agar, who went wicketless in the rain-affected Australia-South Africa SCG Test, as well as the additions of Peter Handscomb and spinner Swepson. “Ashton Agar continues to impress following his comeback in Sydney and we believe left-arm finger spin will play an important role in Indian conditions,” Bailey said in a news release. “Todd Murphy has progressed quickly having impressed in domestic cricket and recently with Australia A. With those performances Todd has emerged as a strong spin option. Selection in this squad also provides another opportunity to spend time alongside Nathan Lyon and assistant coach Daniel Vettori in India, which will be invaluable to his development.”
Bailey added, “Peter Handscomb deserves his place back in the squad. His domestic form has been strong recently and Pete has proven he can perform at the test level. His experience against spin on the subcontinent is valuable and he is also an exceptionally good close-to-the-wicket catcher.”
Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the first Test due to a finger injury but is likely to rejoin the team following the series opener. He is still a member of the squad. Cummins, Scott Boland, and Josh Hazlewood will be their fast bowlers, while Steve Smith, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Matt Renshaw, and Travis Head will be their major batsmen. Cameron Green has also been chosen in the hopes of recovering from a fractured finger.
Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner