The West Test: Massive Test summer gets underway in Perth as Australia take on India
The summer of cricket has officially arrived as Australia and India prepare for their box office battle in The West Test.
India has been the final frontier for this Australian side as they look to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
India is coming off a shock home loss and will be raring to go but can Australia land the first punch on day one of their heavyweight bout?
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Key Events
1st Over - IND 0-5
EDGE! But if falls just short of the slip cordon as the oohs go around the ground.
Jaiswal is more solidly behind the rest of the over as he survives the first over unscathed.
First ball
Runs! Four byes to start as Starc bowls one on middle and leg which swings down the leg side.
Starc takes the new ball
Jaiswal will be on strike with KL Rahul at the on-strikers. Jaiswal likes to be aggressive and put the pressure on early so expect some fireworks.
Expert predictions
The official anthems are about to be sung and Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar walk out with the trophy named after them.
Here’s what our experts are expecting this summer.
The teams have been confirmed
No Jadeja or Ashwin and Washington Sundar does come in but will not bat three with Devdutt Padikkal coming in for Safaraz Khan.
India win the toss and will bat
Jasprit Bumrah calls tails correctly and says they will have a bat.
He says he’s confident in their preparation and it looks like a good deck. Confirms the debutants.
Cummins says he was 50-50 about batting first. He says the team feels pretty well-placed.
“It’s been in the calender for a long time and we can’t wait to get started.”
Cummins confirms no surprise changes.
Double debut for India
Harshit Rana receives his cap shortly after Reddy and that seems to indicate that indeed Ashwin will not play. The pace bowler will be licking his lips at this pitch and along with McSweeney means we will have three debutants in this match.
Reddy for debut!
There’s on piece of India’s puzzle solved with all-rounder Nitesh Reddy receiving his cap from Virat Kohli. He will replace Jadeja as the lower order bat and adding a pace bowling option.
McSweeney gets his baggy green
Australia’s new opener gets his baggy green at the Australian team huddle presented by fellow South Australia Darren Lehman. He was the last man standing as other openers fell by the wayside but he deserves his spot after a hot start to the Shield season averaging 97. It will be a massive test on this deck against this attack but fingers crossed he goes well.
Fans are trickling in
Organisers are hoping to break the all-time attendance record for a Test match in Perth which was 103,440 set during the 2006/07 Ashes series. There’s a chance more than 30,000 people could roll through on day one.
