Changes in batting order as KL Rahul to open; Will Ashwin and Jadeja return? India's predicted XI for 2nd Test against Australia.

With their victory in the opening Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, India has the chance to continue their winning momentum as they head into the day-night Test match at the Adelaide Oval. The team will be looking to replicate their clinical performance from the first match and put themselves in a strong position to upset Australia on their home turf once more. On the other hand, the hosts will be eager to bounce back and make use of the pink ball to stage a comeback in the series after a disappointing start. This sets the stage for an exciting second half of the series, with both teams striving for dominance.

India will be welcoming back a couple of key batters, with Shubman Gill returning from his injury in Perth while Rohit Sharma is back with the squad and ready to join up as captain after his late arrival in Australia. Both are expected to slot right back into the team, with Gill set to come in directly for Devdutt Padikkal at number three.

For Rohit, though, the questions regarding his batting position seem resolved. With Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul looking in excellent touch opening the batting, India won’t mess with that combination, with Rohit accepting a move down the order that might help both his game and the balance of the India middle order.

Rohit could slot in at number 5, behind Virat Kohli and ahead of Rishabh Pant, keeping India’s batting long while allowing himself to face off against the older ball to get his batting back in the groove.

With the ball, India won’t see a reason to edit the method that worked in Perth. Jasprit Bumrah is a no-brainer, while Mohammed Siraj is a new ball weapon and might find joy with the fresh pink ball. Harshit Rana did more than enough to retain his place in Perth, and added on with an impressive performance vs the PM’s XI.

Lastly, Washington Sundar is expected to continue playing the middle order spinner role, with his batting coming along nicely and providing plenty of flexibility for the team.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj