The playing XI's have been finalised for the first Test between India and Australia, with the visitors winning the toss and electing to bat first in Nagpur.

India selectors opted to go with experience at the top of their batting order, with right-hander KL Rahul winning the berth over Shubman Gill to open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma.

White-ball specialist Suryakumar Yadav is included for his Test debut as predicted by former coach Ravi Shastri on the most recent episode of The ICC Review, while uncapped wicket-keeper KS Bharat wins the nod to take the gloves ahead of Ishan Kishan.

India have three spinners in their final XI, with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja expected to play a strong supporting role to veteran tweaker Ravichandran Ashwin.

Australia have their own debutant, with off-spinner Todd Murphy named for his first Test and forgotten batter Peter Handscomb winning a recall for the first Test to replace Travis Head.

The decision to leave Head out of Australia's final XI was a surprise one from the visitors, given the left-hander scored three half-centuries in the most recent Test series against South Africa.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins had no hesitation in electing to bat first after he won the toss, with experienced duo David Warner and Usman Khawaja to open the batting.

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

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

Source: ICC

BDST: 1203 HRS, FEB 09, 2023
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