MUMBAI: The first batch of the Indian team departed for Australia on Sunday night from Mumbai Airport for the highly-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The first ball of the BGT series will be bowled in Perth on November 22. For the series that could potentially decide the fate of the World Test Championship 2025 final, the Indian team is leaving in two batches.
Speedsters Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep were spotted at the airport along with assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. All-rounder Washington Sundar, middle-order Sarfaraz Khan and star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal were also present in the first batch that left for Australia.
Jaiswal signed autographs and shook hands with fans at the venue before proceeding ahead.
Following India’s shambolic fall against New Zealand on home turf, the road to the WTC final has become a tricky affair.
With a 3-0 series whitewash, India need to win the series by 4-0 to punch their ticket to feature in London for the WTC final for the third successive time.
After the conclusion series opener in Perth, the second Test, featuring the day-night format, will take place under lights at Adelaide Oval from December 6 to 10. Fans will then turn their attention to The Gabba in Brisbane for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
The traditional Boxing Day Test, scheduled from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, will mark the series’ penultimate stage.
The fifth and final Test will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3 to 7, promising an exciting climax to a highly anticipated series.
India’s squad for Border-Gavaskar Series: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
Australia squad for the first Test: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc. (ANI)