(Cricket news) India have just won 2 ODI series and 2 T20I series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. 2023 is off to a great but it is now time for the big Test as the men in blue go head to head with Australia for 4 Tests. The buzz around the series is that this is the best Australian team to come to India in a while. They are the number 1 Test side in the world having virtually qualified for the WTC final already. India will definitely be challenged by this Aussie side.

The home side are already missing star pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the first two Tests which is a massive blow. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is also out of the series due to injuries he sustained in a car accident. The good news is that Ravindra Jadeja is fully fit and has just perfomed well in a Ranji trophy match for Saurashtra.

Shreyas Iyer picked up an injury just before the New Zealand ODI series and was subsequently ruled out of it. According to reports he is yet to pass his fitness Test and is likely to miss the opening Test at  Nagpur which leaves India in a spot of bother. Iyer has been consistent across all 3 formats and was recently key in India’s 2-0 Test series win in Bangladesh. His absence will definitely be felt, even more so as Rishabh Pant is also unavailable. India now have to pick an ideal replacement for Iyer. Iyer used to bat at 6 when Pant was there but in this series he was likely to bat at 5.

The like for like options within the squad is Suryakumar Yadav who is yet to make his Test debut. Having said that, assuming Skipper Rohit Sharma and his deputy KL Rahul are opening, Shubman Gill is the most obvious choice. The Punjab batter has been in the form of his life across all formats. In the last Test match against Bangladesh he scored a brilliant ton to help India to victory. Ishan Kishan is an outside the box option if India want a left hander in the top 6 but Axar Patel and Jadeja are in the side to bat higher up the order if necessary.

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