Brad Haddin picks his Australian side for the first Test against India

India and Australia are set to go head to head exactly a week from now. There is a lot of hype regarding this ever so important Test series. The world number one takes on the world number two and it is going to be a fabulous series. There are a lot of former players making statements about their national team and how the series is going to pan out. Brad Haddin predicted the starting lineup of the Australian team for the first Test while talking to ESPN.

His team was a bit different from Steve Waugh’s. Waugh went for the experience of Shaun Marsh in the opening slot but Haddin went for the fearless Matthew Renshaw. He justified his selection and said, “As you will see in the team I have nominated for the first Test, I would like to see Matt Renshaw retained at the top of the order for Australia, because he has the height, the power and the concentration to succeed in India. He can also offer a pronounced height difference to David Warner, a useful advantage in an opening pair, which can help to throw off the lengths of India’s bowlers, whether pace or spin.”

The former wicketkeeper-batsman even plucked the Australian captain Steven Smith from the number 4 spot and promoted him up the order at three. He decided to drop Usman Khawaja and placed Peter Handscomb at four. When asked about this surprise change he explained and said, “The lack of exposure India’s bowlers have had to Peter Handscomb could work in the young Victorian’s favour, and I would like to see him at No. 4, behind Steven, who should promote himself to first drop. That top four will need to shoulder most of the responsibility for batting at least 150 overs in each first innings. Anything less will be inadequate.”

The last time Haddin toured India, his team were shredded apart by the Indians as they were beaten 4-0. He talked about fast outfields, tiring conditions and how batting is rewarding in India. “Batting in India can be extremely rewarding, provided you get past that difficult first half-hour or so. The outfields are fast and not particularly big, meaning plenty of boundaries are on offer. The heat and humidity is sapping for all concerned, but there is no doubt it ultimately favours the fit and fighting batsman over the tiring bowler, fielder or wicketkeeper,” he was quoted saying by ESPN.

Brad Haddin’s Playing XI for the first Test:

David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Steven Smith (C), Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood