Fri Dec 06 03:30:14 UTC 2024: ## India Eyeing Adelaide Victory as Second Test Begins Amidst Uncertain Weather

**Adelaide, Australia –** The second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia commenced today at the Adelaide Oval under cloudy skies, raising concerns about potential rain interruptions. India, riding high on a resounding 295-run win in the first Test in Perth, aims for a series whitewash.

This day-night Test, played with a pink ball, holds special significance, marking the second time these teams have clashed in a pink-ball encounter at Adelaide. India suffered an 8-wicket defeat in the previous pink-ball Test at this venue in December 2020.

Jasprit Bumrah, celebrating his 31st birthday, will be a key player for India. The team is expected to make some changes to its playing eleven, with veteran Ravichandran Ashwin potentially replacing Washington Sundar. Ashwin boasts an impressive record in day-night Tests, having taken 18 wickets at an average of 13.83 in four matches. He also has 16 wickets in three tests at the Adelaide Oval. A significant change sees captain Rohit Sharma moving to the middle order, batting at number 6.

The predicted playing XI for India is: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Australia’s playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.

The toss took place at 9 AM local time, with the match starting shortly thereafter. The weather forecast remains uncertain, with the possibility of rain throughout the match adding an element of unpredictability to the proceedings. India holds a strong head-to-head record against Australia in Test series, but Australia has historically dominated in Test series played on Australian soil. This series marks India’s opportunity to achieve a historic hat-trick of series wins in Australia.

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