Australia on Sunday (November 10) picked uncapped Nathan McSweeney and also handed a maiden Test call-up to Josh Inglis for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

McSweeney is likely to make his Test debut and open the batting with Usman Khawaja in the five-Test series opener starting in Perth on November 22.

Inglis and McSweeney are the only new faces in an otherwise expected 13-member squad announced by Cricket Australia (CA).

Also read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy | Ponting predicts 3-1 win for Australia

The South Australian McSweeney had emerged as a strong contender for the opener’s spot, earning backing from the likes of David Warner and Ricky Ponting. He has been picked ahead of specialist openers Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and Sam Konstas for the spot.

What selection panel chairman said

“We are just really thrilled with Nathan’s game. I think over the last 12 to 15 months, we have seen a player whose growth is on a great trajectory,” chairman of the selection panel George Bailey said.

Also read: Rohit Sharma ‘not sure’ of playing in 1st Test in Perth

“He is a very organised, composed player at the crease and he’s got a game that will really suit Test cricket. He can probably speak more to that but I don’t think it’s a huge adjustment to go from three to opening,” Bailey said.

“I think in the 15 or so games that he’s been batting three for South Australia, he’s been in before the 10th over about 20 times, so he’s had plenty of experience. And as I said, his game and the way he plays, I don’t think the adjustment will be too much.”

The 25-year-old has been rewarded for his consistent performances in the Sheffield Shield over the past couple of years, as well as his role as captain and batter during the recently concluded A tour matches against India.

Pace quartet and lone spinner

“Nathan has displayed the attributes we believe will equip him well for Test cricket along with a strong recent record in domestic cricket.” performances for South Australia and Australia A weighed in his favour and supports our view he is ready for the opportunity at Test level.” Inglis, whose family emigrated to Perth from Leeds at the age of 14, has been named as backup keeper to Alex Carrey.

The in-form wicketkeeper batter, who is leading Australia for the first time in the third ODI against Pakistan, has also been rewarded for a fine domestic season that included two hundreds in the Sheffield Shield.

“Similarly, Josh has been in great touch in the Sheffield Shield competition and deserves his place in his first Test squad,” Bailey added.

The pace unit will be led by skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood and Scot Boland takes up the reserve quick’s spot, while Nathan Lyon is the lone specialist spin option.

Australia squad for 1st Test

Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Marsh, and Scott Boland.

India Test squad

Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Travelling reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.

Australia vs India (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) Series Schedule

1st Test: November 22-26: Perth Stadium, Perth – 7:50 IST

2nd Test: December 6-10: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (R/N) – 9:30am IST

3rd Test: December 14-18: The Gabba, Brisbane – 5:50 am IST

4th Test: December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne – 5 am IST

5th Test: January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney – 5 am IST