India and Australia will clash against each other in the four-match Test series which is set to start on February 9. The Indian Cricket Board also announced the squad for the first two games. Rohit Sharma, who missed India’s series win over Bangladesh in December due to a thumb injury, returns to the Test squad as captain.
Batters Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, who have represented India in shorter formats, could make their Test debuts against Australia after being named in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah, who has been struggling with a back injury, and Rishabh Pant, who suffered multiple injuries in a car crash last month, were not included in the squad. Ravindra Jadeja’s inclusion in the Test squad is subject to fitness.
Marnus Labuschagne ready for the test series against India
Meanwhile, currently the no.1 Test batter of the world, Marnus Labuschagne gave a sneak peak to fans about his preparations before leaving for the upcoming Test series. However, he received a funny reply from former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik. Labuschagne took to Twitter and posted a photo of him carrying coffee in his bag and he wrote a caption under the picture, ‘Just a few KG of coffee on its way to Guess how many bags?”
Reacting to his post, Karthik commented, “You get great coffee in india too mate”. Responding to Karthik’s comment, one fan told it was a promotional post by Labuschagne. “Are Sir promotion kar rha hai ye”, he wrote. Another user added, “Filter coffee. The bestest kind. But DK, Moccona coffee in Australia is amazing!”
Here is the tweet:
You get great coffee in india too mate 😊
— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 30, 2023
Taking a dig at the 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal against South Africa, one fan wrote, “Its ok DK, at least it’s not baggage full of sandpapers. Hopefully!”
These four Tests are also crucial for India’s qualification for the World Test Championship final, which will be played at The Oval in London in June. This will be the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy to be contested over four-Test series. Between May 2023 and April 2027, India and Australia will play a series comprising five Test matches for the first time since 1992.
