Both India and Australia have made no changes to their squads for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Both teams have had ample rest due to the early finish of the Adelaide Test, which brought the series level at 1-1 after Australia thumped India by 10-wickets. Similarly, India had swept aside the hosts in the opener by a staggering 295 runs.
Australia’s main concern revolves around Josh Hazlewood’s fitness. He missed the second Test due to a side strain. In his place, Scott Boland came in and made a mark.
IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma has had a terrible time with the bat in whites
Over on the other side, India were rumoured to be considering bringing in Mohammed Shami. However, no official confirmation has been made yet for the third Test or the remainder of the series. Rohit had stressed that Shami will only be brought in if he is fit and able to contribute to the team’s cause since recovering from ankle surgery.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal
RECORD AT THE GABBA
The Gabba has historically been a fortress for Australia. They remained undefeated at the venue for 33 years. This streak was broken by India during their 2020-21 tour.
The 2020-21 series, impacted by Covid-19, culminated in a memorable match at the Gabba. A significantly depleted Indian side, led by Ajinkya Rahane, secured a stunning three-wicket victory. This remains India’s sole win at the Gabba in seven Test matches.
Australia’s recent record at the Gabba stands at two wins and two losses. Their victories came against England and South Africa while going down to India and the West Indies.
POSSIBLE TEAMS
India’s over dependence on Jasprit Bumrah visible in Adelaide
Following their dominant 10-wicket win, Australia are likely to retain the same playing XI. The only potential change is Josh Hazlewood replacing Scott Boland, if deemed fully fit. This despite Boland’s strong performance with the pink ball.
Australia XI (predicted): Nathan McSweeney, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (w/k), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India’s performance in Adelaide exposed vulnerabilities in both their batting and bowling departments. These areas will be under scrutiny in the upcoming Test.
Rohit Sharma’s batting position remains a point of discussion. Will he return to open the innings or continue batting at number six?
Jasprit Bumrah experienced a minor groin issue during the week but trained on Thursday. He is expected to be fit for the match.
Another point to discuss is Harshit Rana’s ineffective bowling in the second Test which might prompt a change in the bowling attack.
R Ashwin’s performance in Adelaide was satisfactory. However, given India’s depth in spin bowling, he could be replaced by either Ravindra Jadeja or Washington Sundar. If given the nod, Jadeja would make his first appearance in the series. Sundar, however, was instrumental in India’s Gabba victory in 2021.
India XI (predicted): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w/k), Rohit Sharma (c), Nitish Kumar Reddy, R Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pitch and conditions
IND vs AUS: India batting has been a major cause of worry
The Gabba pitch, known for its pace and bounce, is expected to offer an exciting contest between bat and ball. Both teams boast strong batting line-ups, and their ability to adapt to the conditions will be crucial.
The Gabba pitch curator David Sandurski said they were not doing anything extra to make the wickets ‘spicy’ for the seamers.
“Generally speaking we still prepare the pitch the exact same way every time to try and get the same good carry, pace and bounce that the Gabba is known for. We are just trying to make a traditional Gabba wicket like we do each year,” the curator concluded.
The weather prediction does not look good for the third Test. There is decent chance of rain on all five days of the Test match but, thankfully for cricket fans, it is not expected to affect full day’s play.
WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP IMPACT
How can India still qualify for World Test Championship final?
Four teams are now vying for the two spots in the World Test Championship Final. The final is scheduled for June next year.
Australia can secure their place in the final by winning two of the remaining three Tests in this series. India need to win all remaining Tests to guarantee their spot in the final. Anything less will leave their qualification dependent on other results.
INDIA vs AUSTRALIA: HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Australia 46 wins, India 33 wins, 29 draws, one tie
In Australia: Australia 31 wins, India 10 wins, 13 draws
INDIA vs AUSTRALIA STATS
Most runs (overall): Sachin Tendulkar (3630 runs), Ricky Ponting (2555), VVS Laxman (2434), Virat Kohli (2165), Rahul Dravid (2143)
Most runs (in Australia): Ricky Ponting (1893), Sachin Tendulkar (1809), Virat Kohli (1475), VVS Laxman (1236), Rahul Dravid (1143)
Most wickets (overall): Nathan Lyon (123), Ravichandran Ashwin (115), Anil Kumble (111), Harbhajan Singh (95), Ravindra Jadeja (89)
Most wickets (in Australia): Nathan Lyon (62), Kapil Dev (51), Anil Kumble (49), Josh Hazlewood (47), Mitch Starc (46)
POSSIBLE MILESTONES AT THE GABBA
- Rohit Sharma needs 221 more runs to reach the milestone of 4500 runs in Test cricket.
- Shubman Gill is just 141 runs away from reaching 2000 Test runs, showcasing his steady growth in the longest format.
- Rishabh Pant is just 220 runs away from reaching the coveted 3000-run mark in Test cricket.
- Virat Kohli needs 102 runs to surpass Graeme Smith and 119 runs to overtake Hashim Amla in Test cricket’s all-time run-scoring charts
- KL Rahul is just 74 runs away from overtaking Navjot Singh Sidhu’s career Test run tally, moving up the ranks among India’s top batsmen.
- Shubman Gill, the young star from Punjab, is just 41 runs away from overtaking fellow Punjabi Yuvraj Singh’s Test career run tally, continuing the state’s proud cricketing tradition.
- Virat Kohli is just one run away from surpassing Rahul Dravid against Australia.
- KL Rahul is on the verge of overtaking Indian legend Mohammad Azharuddin and Pakistan great Inzamam-ul-Haq in Test runs scored against Australia.
FORM GUIDE
Past 10 matches, most recent first.
Australia: WLWWLWWWWL
Australia have seven wins from their past nine Tests, including the one at Adelaide Oval.
India: LWLLLWWWWW
India started the series with a comfortable win inside four days in Perth but have now suffered defeat in four of last five Tests, including a humbling whitewash at home by New Zealand.
3rd Test IND vs AUS: Match details
Series: Australia vs India, Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Match: Third Test of Australia vs India
When: 14-18 December, 2024. Play begins at 5:50am IST (10:20am local time, 11:20am AEDT)
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane, Australia
Officials: Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough (field), Chris Gaffaney (third), Donovan Koch (fourth), Ranjan Madugalle (referee)
Watch:
In India: DD Sports, Star Sports Network (TV), Disney+ Hotstar (live streaming on app and website)
In Australia: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports, Channel 7 and 7Plus
In USA and Canada: Willow TV
Session Timings for 3rd IND vs AUS Test
First Session: 5:50am – 7:50am IST (10:20am – 12:20pm local, 11:20am – 1:20pm AEDT)
Second Session: 8:30am – 10:30am IST (1:00pm – 3:00pm local, 2:00pm – 4:00pm AEDT)
Third Session: 10:50am – 12:50pm IST (3:20pm – 5:20pm, 4:20pm – 6:20pm AEDT)
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