Perth Test: India asked to bowl first against Australia

India lost the toss and was asked to bowl first in their second Test of the four-match series here at the Perth Stadium on Friday.

Indian captain Virat Kohli said had he won the toss, he too would have opted to bat first. Talking about the pitch, he said, "I was pretty happy to see the pitch the way it is, I hope no more grass is taken off it. That would mean that the first three days would be very lively. We as a team are pretty happy with that."

Australian captain Tim Paine, on the other hand, hoped that with hot conditions the pitch will hopefully undergo a change. "It is really warm today and with some hot weather around we expect it will crack up a bit," he said.

India are currently leading the series by 1-0 as Men in Blue secured a 31-run victory in the opening Test at the Adelaide Oval.

Following are the playing XI for both sides:

India: Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah

.