Mark Taylor picks his Australia playing XI for the Test series against India

The end of the year is all set to experience one of the toughest battles in the cricketing arena. The ruthless Indian squad will take on the mighty Australians on the latter’s home turf. India’s tour of Australia is slated to begin from 27th November with three ODIs and as many T20Iw. Following the limited-overs clash, both the teams will lock horns against each other for four Tests putting the last nail in the tour’s coffin.

As we inch closer to the marquee series, fans and experts are pouring down their opinions on social media. Emotionally charged Indian fans believe that their team under the leadership of Virat Kohli will rewrite the history once again whereas the lethal Australian fans feel that the Kangaroos will stamp their authority from the word go this time around.

That said, the former Aussie cricketing stalwart, Mark Taylor has put forth his Australia Playing XI for the Test series against the powerful Indian camp. Interestingly, he made some surprising picks drawing numerous eyebrows. He picked the XI while speaking to Channel Nine’s Sport Sunday show.

Mark Taylor bats for William Pucovski as opener

The former opening batsman carries with himself truckloads of experience which makes his opinions important in the cricket fraternity. Mark heaped lavish praises for the young gun Will Pucovski calling him ‘a player for the next decade’, the 56-year-old stated that his consistent performance with the bat for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield makes him the first choice opener.

Amassing two massive double hundreds for his domestic team, the budding talent looks like a powerhouse of potential without a shade of doubt. Notably, the young Turk has come out very strong after taking a sabbatical owing to ‘mental health’ reasons. Taylor quipped “He has been open and honest about it right from the word go which is not always easy.” Subsequently, he strongly believes that the 22-year-old should open the innings for his national side in the upcoming test series kicking off from December 17th.

Moreover, his squad also dished out another surprise in the form of Cameron Green. Over the years, he has showcased good rendition as an all-rounder over the years in the domestic circuit.

Mark Taylor’s XI:

David Warner, Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuchange, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (C, WK) Mitchell Starc, Pattrick Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson (12th man), Cameron Green (13th).