BGT: Ravi Shastri picks three seamers, two all-rounders in India’s XI for Perth Test against Australia

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has picked three pacers and two all-rounders in his India playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth starting November 22. With regular captain Rohit Sharma’s availability status for the first game remainingunclear, the selectors and team management are looking to put KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran in his place, but Shastri, under whom India won Down Under twice, differs.

Rahul, Easwaran and spare keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel were part of the India-A XI for the second unofficial Test against Australia-A, with both openers failing miserably across two outings. Easwaran too was not among runs in the first game. Jurel, however, was the only silver lining among the BGT-bound batters at the MCG, scoring twin fifties and pressing his case for a spot in the playing XI.

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Meanwhile, Rahulsuffered an elbow injury on day one of the WACA simulation game, retiring hurt and playing no further part in the game. Though that comes as a scare for the touring team, who would need a specialist to play at the top alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shastri has thrown a new name in the mix, a player already part of the playing XI.

"It's horses for courses in many ways. Most of the team will pick themselves, but there'll be one or two cases where you might have to just go and dig deep and go with gut feeling," Shastri said while speaking on ‘The ICC Review’.

"You can push Shubman (Gill) back up the order, and he has opened in the past in Australia. Otherwise, you'll have to then make an alternative. Easwaran hasn't done that well (for India-A in Australia). But it's how he's batting in the nets, how Rahul is batting in the nets. But that Shubman Gill option is also there,” Shastri said of Jaiswal’s new opening partner in Tests.

Rahul down to number three

Ahead of departing for Australia, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the media in Mumbai, shedding light on who could replace Rohit at the top for the Perth Test should he remain unavailable for selection. Hinting at it could be KL Rahul, Gautam said players like Rahul can bat anywhere in the lineup, something Shastri agrees on.

He said regardless of his form, KL has performed in Australia before and with his feet moving nicely, he can take up that number three slot.

"Sometimes runs are not important, but if a player is moving well, and if the feet are moving nicely, and you try and understand his (KL Rahul) game, and you realize if he has the game for those conditions if he has the right kind of shots for those kinds of pitches. These are the things you've got to look at when you start picking a side overseas," he said.

"I would be watching them like a hawk in the nets, the batters and the bowlers because for me as a bowler, rhythm is important. And as a batter, again, tempo and rhythm is important,” Shastri continued.

Meanwhile, Shastri’s India XI for the Perth Test reads –

Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj

(With inputs from agencies)