Fri Nov 22 02:20:00 UTC 2024: ## Bumrah Captains India to Toss Win in Perth, Drops Ashwin and Jadeja for First Test Against Australia

**Perth, Australia:** Jasprit Bumrah is leading India in the first Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth, a high-profile series opener in a five-match contest. The Indian team is without its regular captain, Rohit Sharma, who is absent from the match. In a bold move, Bumrah, in his debut as captain, has dropped veteran spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the playing XI, opting instead for off-spinner Washington Sundar.

Bumrah won the toss and elected to bat first, handing the Australian team the bowling duties. Sundar’s inclusion is a significant tactical choice, given his prowess as both an off-spinner and a useful lower-order batsman.

India enters the series with a strong record in Australia, having won the last two series in 2018-19 and 2020-21, both by a 2-1 margin. A win in this series is crucial for India’s World Test Championship aspirations; a 4-0 victory is needed to secure a place in the final at Lord’s in June 2024. India has a commanding lead in the overall Border-Gavaskar Trophy record, having won 10 out of 16 series against Australia.

**Playing XIs:**

**India:** KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (capt), Mohammed Siraj.

**Australia:** Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

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