Australia vs India: Hosts add 7-year old leg-spinner to their squad for third Test

Remember Archie Schiller – the seven-year-old leg-spinner from Australia who wanted to get Virat Kohli out? Well, Australia have added the young spinner to their squad as the 15th member of the team for the upcoming iconic Boxing Day Test against India. Earlier this month, Australia had announced that Archie would be included in the Test squad.

Archie had received the message via a phone call from coach Justin Langer, while the national team was in the UAE for their last Test assignment against Pakistan. During that very call, a delighted Archie had said that he wanted to dismiss Kohli, the best Test batsman in the world at the moment.

Australia had also called up the youngster to join the team for a training session at Adelaide Oval before the start of the first Test. Tim Paine, meanwhile, confirmed Archie’s inclusion in the team at BUPA Family Day at Yarra Park.

Archie’s struggles

Archie, meanwhile, is nothing less than a superhero. At just seven, he has faced so many ordeals that some do not face during their entire lifetime. When he was just three months old, his heart condition diagnosed weeks after his birth required an urgent surgery lasting more than seven hours. Just six months later, he endured a second bout as specialists fought to fix the faulty valves and irregular rhythms of Archie’s bravely beating heart.

However, last year his health deteriorated, compelling the family to take the child to the hospital again for his third open-heart procedure and faced the reality they risked returning home without their son. Well, both the teams will be surely looking forward to make the occasion a special one for Archie.

Meanwhile, the four-match series is currently locked at 1-1 after Australia beat India by 146 runs in the second Test.

~ Written by Bijoy

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