Dharamsala: Australia skipper Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat first against India in the fourth and final Test of the four-match rubber at the picturesque HPCA stadium here this morning.
Earlier this morning, India suffered a huge blow as skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the final Test after suffering a shoulder injury.Ajinkya Rahane will now lead the team in Kohli's absence, who sustained an injury in the last Test at Ranchi.
Meanwhile, the hosts have made to changes as Uttar Pradesh Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, making his debut, will replace Kohli while medium pacer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has been included in the playing eleven in place of Ishant Sharma.
On the other side, the visitors will be playing with an unchanged squad which featured in the Ranchi Test.The series is presently tied at 1-1 and the side winning this Test will eventually clinch the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Squads:-
India - KL Rahul, M Vijay, C Pujara, A Rahane (C), K Nair, R Ashwin, WP Saha (wk), R Jadeja, B Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, U Yadav
Australia - D Warner, M Renshaw, S Smith (C), S Marsh, P Handscomb, G Maxwell, M Wade (wk), P Cummins, S O'Keefe, N Lyon, J Hazlewood.
(UNI)
