Watch - Emotional Suryakumar, KS Bharat receive Test caps ahead of Nagpur game

Watch - Emotional Suryakumar, KS Bharat receive Test caps ahead of Nagpur game
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Watch - Emotional Suryakumar, KS Bharat receive Test caps ahead of Nagpur game

Highlights

  • India vs Australia 1st Test is underway in Nagpur
  • Suryakumar, Bharat and Australia’s Todd Murphy have made their debut
  • Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a four-match Test series

Suryakumar Yadav and KS Bharat did not hide their emotions as they finally received their Test caps on Thursday.

Surya and Bharat made it to India's Playing XI for the first Test against Australia as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 went underway in Nagpur. In what would be a first instance, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited both Suryakumar and Bharat's families to come inside the ground and watch the Test cap presentation ceremony.

Head coach Rahul Dravid congratulated and shook hands with the family members of both the Indian cricketers. Apart from Surya and Bharat, even Pat Cummins-led Australia handed young spinner Todd Murphy a Test debut.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri handed out the India cap to Suryakumar and Cheteshwar Pujara presented Bharat with his India cap, while Australia spinner and a member of their playing XI, Nathan Lyon presented the Baggy Green to 22-year-old Murphy.


Surya, who has been playing First-Class cricket for Mumbai since 2010, has scored 5,549 runs in 79 matches at an average of 63.56 including 14 tons and 28 half-centuries.

Meanwhile, it should be remembered that Bharat had donned the gloves for India in place of Wriddhiman Saha on Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur in 2021 after the Bengal wicketkeeper had suffered a stiffness in his neck.

Australia skipper Cummins won the toss on Thursday and opted to bat in the opening Test of the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy.

"We would have batted too. Looks pretty dry. There will be help for spinners. We got to wait and see how much it does. Yesterday when we started training we did see some seam movement for the pacers up front. We have had a good prep for the last 5-6 days.

"We trained on the aspects in store. This is a big one. We know the importance of the series but we also understand it's about winning one session at a time. It's a long series. Three spinners, two seamers, Bharat and Suryakumar Yadav are debuting," Rohit said at the toss.

Meanwhile, Cummins said he felt Australia are "really well placed" going into the Nagpur Test.

"We are going to bat. Looks like a pretty even wicket towards the middle. 2017 was a big series. Can't wait to get this started. We have had good preparation. We feel we are really well placed. Two changes Todd Murphy in. Handscomb in for Travis Head," Cummins said.

India vs Australia: Playing XI

Australia XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey(wk), Pat Cummins(c), Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland

India XI: Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Srikar Bharat(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

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