Rohit is on a paternity break and will miss the series-opener. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is captaining the Indian team in his absence.
The debate over the vacant slot at the top of the Australia batting order continues to captivate the nation's sports media a month before the opening clash in a blockbuster five-Test series against India.
In a nail-biting finish at the MCG, Australia clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first ODI on Monday night.
Images from Day 4 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Monday.
From a bowler's paradise on Day 1 to a batting haven on Day 2, the Perth pitch has defied expectations.
'(Bumrah) is so unique, and that's with any of the bowlers, really. Every (batter) picks up different cues and goes about it in a different way.'
The former South African quick explained the pre-set plan against Head, though it eventually fell flat on its back.
England star Joe Root is cementing his status as one of the greatest players as he achieved new career-high rating in the latest ICC Men's Test Batter Rankings.
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald is unperturbed by batter Marnus Labuschagne's recent run of low scores, saying that there are going to be "ebbs and flows" in one's Test career and the team is much more concerned about their batting line-up performing well as a collective.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Sunday.
The home team bowlers did not put a foot wrong but the pitch "surprisingly" dried up quite quickly at the Optus stadium on the second day, eventually helping the Indian batters, reckons Australia head coach Andrew McDonald.
India were struggling at 128 for 5 in their second innings, still trailing Australia by 29 runs at stumps on day two of the day-night Test.
Images from Day 1 of the 'Pink-ball' second Test between Australia and India in Adelaide on Friday.
By avoiding the follow-on and standing firm against Australia's aggression, India ensured that they stayed alive in the series.
Following David Warner's retirement from Tests, Steve Smith opened the batting for Australia in series against West Indies and New Zealand.
Gloucestershire and Glamorgan batted themselves to a standstill in a staggering 1,578-run County Championship Division Two match on Wednesday, with the game ending in the most improbable way of all - a tie - after Glamorgan nearly completed a world-record setting run chase.
The four wickets that India prised out in the third session, on balance, swung the game back in their favour, says Prem Panicker .
Uncapped in T20Is, Fraser-McGurk was included in Australia's World Cup squad as a reserve player but never got a chance to shine on the global stage.
India thumped Australia by 99 runs in the second of the ongoing three-match ODI series, on Sunday to secure the ODI series 2-0 after winning the second match through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium.
'...there'll be nerves and a bit of pressure, but that's all part of it, and I'm just excited to see what it all brings.'
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed Indian players as superstars' while hoping to revive his on-field rivalry with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
When you are defending to save a game, a loose delivery comes along and you suddenly opt to play an attacking shot, you are unlikely to hit as well as if you were playing your naturally aggressive game all along. First Pant, then Jaiswal, found that out the costly way, observes Prem Panicker.
'It's hard for me not to think, you know, as a man of faith, that there's not someone else pulling the strings.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide?
Australian batters Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschange entered record books for the slow pace of their batting during the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at The Oval.
Maxwell has starred with bat and ball in Australia's white ball teams since coming back from his broken leg last year.
Two teams with fault lines in their batting, up against two of the best bowling sides in the game today -- the question that determines the outcome is, is your weakness greater than mine?
Marnus Labuschagne broke into Australia's 15-member squad for the 50-over World Cup in India at the last possible moment on Thursday on the back of his strong recent form while injured opener Travis Head was also included.
The seeds of India's defeat were sown in Melbourne, where Bumrah had to bowl 53.2 overs -- 24.4 in the second innings on the back of 28.4 in the first innings. With just three days to recover, that was an inhuman burden on a bowler who had bowled 151 overs in this series.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
If he was still groggy, he was completely woken up when he was knocked a couple of times on the fingers by Mohammed Siraj's sharp deliveries, early in his innings.
Marnus Labuschagne came on as a concussion substitute to steer Australia to a three-wicket win over South Africa in a One-Day International on Thursday.
The batter wore underpants custom made to commemorate Australia's 4-0 Ashes victory over England in 2021-2022.
Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne said he had "never seen" someone bowl like the way Pat Cummins did during the World Cup final against India, which they won by six wickets for a record-extending sixth title.
At this point it is still anyone's game, with a draw also an option, says Prem Panicker in his analysis of Day 4.
Rohit Sharma's Candid Admission: India not good enough in World Cup final
Stoinis lost his spot in Australia's ODI team to Marnus Labuschagne during the World Cup in India
Australia make solid start to Boxing Day Test in rainy Melbourne
Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
