Team India faces the Australian cricket team in the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from Thursday, January 7.
With the Indian squad losing Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar even before the series started and then Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav after the first and second Tests respectively, it is time for another Indian pacer to make his Test debut.
Delhi's Navdeep Saini was announced to make his Test debut a day before the Test started. There were no more changes to the squad and so the official presentation was conducted a few minutes before the start of the game.
AUS v IND 2020-21: WATCH- “Fast and Furious” Navdeep Saini gears up for his Test debut at SCG
Saini received his first Test cap from the leader of India's pace attack, Jasprit Bumrah before the start of the first day's play. BCCI released a video on their official Twitter handle of Bumrah presenting the Indian cap to Navdeep Saini before play on Day 1 of the third Test.
Here is the video:
Congratulations @navdeepsaini96. He realises his dream of playing Test cricket for #TeamIndia today. A proud holder of ???? 299 and he receives it from @Jaspritbumrah93. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zxa5LGJEen
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 6, 2021
Navdeep Saini has played 46 First-Class games so far capturing 128 wickets in 79 bowling innings. He has picked 4 four-wicket hauls and 4 five-wicket hauls in First-Class cricket so far and richly deserves his Test debut in Australia.
He joined Jasprit Bumrah and one-Test old Mohammed Siraj in India's pace attack for the third Test in SCG.
