5 Australians on their maiden India tour

# 3 Matt Renshaw

The biggest quandary for the Australian selectors before the first Test is regarding who to pair up with Warner as the opening batsman – the more experience Usman Khawaja who seems to develop a brain-freeze on subcontinental pitches, or the fresh 20-year-old with the temperament to bat through long days, Matt Renshaw.

Had Renshaw performed in the warm-up match, he would surely have been picked, but with scores of 11 and 10 to show only, he might have to wait for Khawaja to fail before he gets a chance to play a Test in India. Renshaw has also played only 4 Tests, having scored 184 in his last Test, against Pakistan in January this year.

Renshaw is of the breed of openers who are happy to play the waiting game, and history suggests Australia might be in need of the solidity he provides before the series is done.

Handscomb and Renshaw might both be very new to the international arena, but there is a lot of hope that they will develop into two great batsmen who will play Test cricket over the next decade. Both of them should be prepared for the toughest test of their mettle yet.

Performance in warm-up match – 11, 10