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AAP
AAP
Oliver Caffrey

Boland back in, Marsh fit to bowl in Adelaide Test

Scott Boland will replace the injured Josh Hazlewood in Australia's second Test team to face India. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Paceman Scott Boland is locked in to play his first Test since the 2023 Ashes and allrounder Mitch Marsh has been cleared to bowl in Australia's crucial second Test against India.

Australia captain Pat Cummins confirmed Boland will replace Josh Hazlewood, who is out because of a side strain, for the day-night Test at Adelaide Oval.

Marsh will play, and is available to bowl, despite suffering back soreness in the aftermath of Australia's horror 295-run defeat to India in the series opener in Perth.

Cummins expects Marsh will be called on to bowl at some stage during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar series.

"Made the call with the medical team over the last couple of days to give him a couple of days off bowling, but expect him to warm up, and if required will bowl," Cummins said of Marsh on Thursday.

"Guessing he would be required at some point."

Marsh hasn't bowled at all in the lead-up to the pink-ball Test in the South Australian capital.

The reigning Allan Border Medallist only batted during Australia's main training session at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

Marsh
Mitch Marsh gets in some batting practice in the Adelaide Oval nets. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

After his first stint batting, Marsh sat down on an Esky for about 20 minutes before going inside.

Marsh then came back out 40 minutes later to have another bat before the end of Australia's session under lights.

The 33-year-old has been under an injury cloud since sending down more overs than Australia were expecting in Perth when India piled on second-innings runs. 

Despite calling up in-form Tasmanian allrounder Beau Webster to the squad, Australia have backed Marsh, who bowled 17 overs in Perth - his heaviest workload in any Test since 2019.

"Since the ODIs in England (in September), (Marsh) didn't bowl in a couple of games over there, and he's been desperately trying to work on that for the last few months," Cummins said.

"Pretty confident that we prioritise his overs for the game, rather than using them up in the nets."

The Australian quick dismissed the notion of added pressure on his team after the crushing defeat in Perth.

Pat Cummins (second left).
Pat Cummins (second left) says the Australians have been in sticky situations before. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Last winning a Test series after going down 1-0 back in 1997, Australia will need to create history if they are to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and snap a four-series losing streak against India

It shapes as one of Australia's most crucial home Tests this century.

"Any Test match there is pressure," Cummins said.

"When you're down there's a little bit more but we have been in similar situations in World Cups or other series ... we know we weren't at our best last week, we have got a few things to work on.

"Everyone has got a lot of personal pride."

Cummins said the expected the movement of the pink ball in the day-night fixture would suit Boland.

"There's normally a little bit of nip, which suits Scotty quite well ... as a captain, it's pretty awesome to have Scotty come straight in," he said.

Despite their impressive performance in Perth, India will make more changes than the team they thumped.

They won't confirm their XI until the toss on Friday, but captain Rohit Sharma and No.3 Shubman Gill will return to the line-up.

Star veteran Ravi Ashwin appears set to be recalled for fellow bowling allrounder Washington Sundar after not playing in the first Test.

KL Rahul performed superbly as opener in Rohit's absence, meaning the skipper will slot in at No.5, rather than the top of the order, on his return from parental leave.

"Those two guys (Jaiswal and Rahul) at the top, looking at this one Test match, they batted brilliantly," Rohit said on Thursday.

"I was at home with my newborn in my arms, and I was watching how KL batted, it was brilliant to watch.

"I felt that there's no need to change that. 

"Maybe in the future things will be different, I don't know.

"What has happened and what KL has shown outside of India, he probably deserves that place at this point in time."

AUSTRALIA'S XI FOR SECOND TEST: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

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