IND vs AUS: India add Devdutt Padikkal to first Test squad, New Pacer joins team

In a proactive move, India has added Devdutt Padikkal to the 1st Test squad, which starts in Perth on Friday (November 22).

Padikkal, who was asked to stay back after India A's tour of Australia, impressed with a commanding 88 against Australia A earlier this month in Mackay. The southpaw has been touted as a reliable option to shore up India's batting order in case of further injuries.

Padikkal, who made his Team India debut earlier this year, has been in excellent form and brings a fresh yet steady presence to the lineup. And he has been included due to the injury to Shubman Gill, who hurt his finger during a simulation match in Perth.

Padikkal scored 151 runs for India A across four innings and is likely to be ahead in the pecking order to replace Gill.

Yash Dayal Added as a Travelling Reserve

Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has been included as a travelling reserve. Dayal, who was part of the squad for the New Zealand Test series, joins an already solid reserve group featuring Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed. While there has been no official confirmation, speculation is rife about a possible injury concern among the reserves, prompting Dayal's addition to the touring contingent.

Gill has been instrumental in India's recent success and was expected to play a pivotal role against Australia's formidable bowling attack, led by Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. If unavailable, the onus will likely fall on young talents like Padikkal or Abhimanyu Easwaran to fill the gap.

But India will be rooting for the return of Rohit Sharma, who is likely to join the squad before the 2nd Test. Rohit stayed back due to the birth of his second child and Jasprt Bumrah will be leading India in the first match.

India Full Squad for 1st Test vs Australia

Jasprit Bumrah (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal