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India will bat first in the must-win fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at the SCG, with new captain Jasprit Bumrah winning the toss.
Bumrah’s presence officially confirmed that skipper Rohit Sharma will indeed be on the sidelines in Sydney, after the story broke on match eve that he had stood himself down from the match amid a wretched run of form.
With fast bowler Akash Deep ruled out due to a back injury, the visitors made two changes, with Shubman Gill replacing Sharma and Prasidh Krishna coming in for his third Test as the third seamer.
Speaking at the toss, Bumrah praised Sharma for his selfless decision to step aside.
“Obviously our captain has shown his leadership – he’s opted to rest in this game,” he said.
“That shows that there’s a lot of unity in our team – there’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the team’s best interests, we are looking to do that.”
Australian captain Pat Cummins confirmed the hosts’ sole change, with all-rounder Beau Webster coming in for his Test debut at the expense of Mitchell Marsh.
With the SCG pitch looking uncharacteristically green heading into the match, former great Mark Waugh described it as a ‘good toss to lose’ for Cummins, while Steve Smith believes the wicket is ‘greener than I’ve ever seen it’.
Cummins, however, said at the toss he would have chosen to bat as well.
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