Australia wins toss and will bat 1st vs India in 2nd test

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia has won the toss and will bat first in Saturday’s Boxing Day cricket test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The pitch has a light covering of grass and a fine day is forecast with a top temperature of 28 degrees Celsius (82 Farhenheit).

Missing skipper Virat Kohli for personal reasons, India has made four changes to its side, including naming two debutants.

The tourists have included spinner Ravindra Jadeja, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, and debutants Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj, who replaces injured pace bowler Mohammed Shami.

Opener Prithvi Shaw and gloveman Wriddhiman Saha have been dropped after India’s eight-wicket loss in the first test in Adelaide. Master batsman Kohli has returned home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side for the rest of the series in Kohli’s absence. India has named five frontline bowlers including spinners Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin.

With star batsman David Warner still unavailable due to a groin injury, Australia has named an unchanged side as it attempts to go 2-0 in the four-test series.

India will attempt to bounce back from recording its lowest test score of 36 runs in its second innings in Adelaide.

Upbeat Australia’s batting will be spearheaded by Joe Burns and Matthew Wade at the top of the order after Burns’ unbeaten 51 in the second innings helped end the first test last Saturday inside three days.

But Australia’s captain Tim Paine has warned of India’s ability to fight back.

“We can’t pay any attention to mental scars of or whatever anyone is talking about,” Paine said.

Up to 30,000 spectators will be allowed to attend the match. It is the first occasion on which fans have been allowed into Melbourne Cricket Ground since the Australian women’s cricket team won the Twenty20 World Cup final in March.

While the atmosphere will be different to a normal Melbourne test, where up to 90,000 people fill the stadium, Australia’s coach Justin Langer says “it’s just an amazing stadium”.

Teams:

Australia: Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (captain), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

India: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Umpires: Bruce Oxenford and Paul Reiffel, Australia.

TV umpire: Paul Wilson (Australia. Match referee: David Boon (Australia).

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