Harshit Rana to make India debut in Perth as Shubman Gill's replacement at No. 3 for 1st Australia Test

Rohit Sharma will miss the first Test at the Optus Stadium on November 22, as he and his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, welcomed their second child on Friday. He will rejoin the Indian squad for the second Test in Adelaide, which will be a pink ball game. In Rohit's absence, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah will take over the leadership duties for the Indian side in Perth.

Gill, on the other hand, fractured his thumb while batting in the intra-squad match at the WACA on Saturday and, hence, will not make the playing XI for the first Test.

According to a report in the Times of India, the management is likely to hand Padikkal the No. 3 position in the first match. "He is likely to bat at the No 3 spot now," a reliable source told the website.

Padikkal had earlier made his debut for India in the home Test series against England earlier this year, where he batted at No. 4, scoring 65 in the only innings he batted in that match in Dharamsala. The left-hander, who was part of the India A squad in Australia, however, had a quiet series against Australia A, scoring 36, 88, 26, and 1 in four innings.

The report further revealed that Delhi speedster Harshit Rana, who was retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier last month for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is all set to earn his maiden international cap in Perth.

"Harshit was very impressive in the match simulation at Perth, especially while bowling his bouncers. There's a good chance that he will make his India debut at Perth," a source told the national daily.

The KKR fast bowler has so far played 10 first-class matches, picking 43 wickets at 24. He played one Ranji Trophy match this season, against Assam in Delhi, where he picked up a five-wicket haul and scored a fifty, before joining the Indian team in the New Zealand series as a net bowler.