The Indian cricket team gears up for the start of the 5-match Test series against Australia, with the first match taking place in Perth, starting Friday. India captain Rohit Sharma is confirmed to not be part of the playing XI, having not reached Australia yet, with vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah taking up his role as the skipper for the match. Though Bumrah refused to delve into any details with regards to playing XI selection, India’s practice simulations and media reports do suggest what sort of XI the tourists are likely to go with.

The two opening spots are likely to be occupied by KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the wicket-keeper batter being promoted to open the batting in the absence of skipper Rohit. Shubman Gill, India’s designated No. 3 batter, is also missing due to an injury. His likely replacement will be Devdutt Padikkal, who impressed many with his performances in the build-up to the series opener.

All eyes will be on Virat Kohli at No. 4 as he looks to overcome the rough patch that saw him fail to aggregate even 100 runs in the series against New Zealand. Dhruv Jurel is expected to make the cut in place of Sarfaraz Khan, courtesy of the former’s excellent show in the unofficial Test assignment against Australia A. He will be followed by Rishabh Pant in the batting order.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to make his Test debut, batting at the No. 6 spot, followed by India’s sole spinner for the match, Ravichandran Ashwin. Usually, when it comes to overseas assignments, Ravindra Jadeja has been preferred as the sole spinner by the Indian team. However, Ashwin is expected to make the cut this time.

Jasprit Bumrah, the skipper for the match, will lead the pace trio for the Indian team, with the duo of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep likely to make the cut in the XI.

India’s likely XI vs Australia, 1st Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.