Australia’s premier pacer Mitchell Starc has been named in the outfit but is expected to miss the series opener as he continues to recover from his left index finger injury that ruled him out of the third Test of the recently-concluded series against South Africa in Sydney. Similarly, all-rounder Cameron Green‘s inclusion for the first Test is also in doubt as he, too, is recovering from a broken finger.
Uncapped off-spinner Todd Murphy has been handed his maiden call-up in the longest format as Australia have picked four frontline spin options in their 18-member squad. The other three tweakers are Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson, and Ashton Agar.
Notably, Murphy is viewed as a potential long-term successor to Lyon. The 22-year-old has bolted into the red-ball squad following impressive performances for Victoria, Australia A and the Prime Minister’s XI over the past 12 months.
“Todd Murphy has progressed quickly, having impressed in domestic cricket and recently with Australia A. With those performances, Todd has emerged as a strong spin option. Selection in this squad also provides another opportunity to spend time alongside Nathan Lyon and assistant coach Daniel Vettori in India, which will be invaluable to his development,” said George Bailey, the chairman of selectors, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Speaking about the series, after the opening Test in Nagpur, the action will move to Delhi, where the second Test shall be played. Similarly, the third match will take place in Dharamsala before both teams meet in Ahmedabad’s iconic Narendra Modi Stadium for the final Test.
Australia’s Test squad for the tour of India:
Pat Cummins (Captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
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