And then there were four.
After plenty of speculation about how many changes will made in the aftermath of the Adelaide debacle, India have announced that they will be making four changes to the XI for the second match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
The management has handed debuts to young opener Shubman Gill and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj Friday for the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne.
They were among four changes to the team that crashed by eight wickets in the first Test at Adelaide last week, when they were bowled out for their lowest ever score of 36.
Gill comes in for the out-of-form Prithvi Shaw, who made 0 and 4 in Adelaide, while Siraj replaces pace spearhead Mohammed Shami, who is reportedly nursing a fractured wrist.
The explosive Rishabh Pant takes over from Wriddhiman Saha as wicketkeeper while experienced allrounder Ravindra Jadeja is back from injury to strengthen their bowling attack.
Captain Virat Kohli will not play the remaining three Tests, with Ajinkya Rahane taking over as skipper and Cheteshwar Pujara acting as his deputy.
Australia, on the other hand, are expected to retain the same playing XI that won the match in Adelaide with David Warner still not fit to return.
India XI for Melbourne: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Here are some reactions as India confirmed their playing XI a day before the Test for a second match on the trot:
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