India and Australia will fight out in the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. The series is now leveled at 1-1, and if the match ends in a draw, India will retain the trophy for the third straight time.
Match Timings: Jan 15, 5:30 AM IST
Team Preview
Racism, abuses, sledging, bubble impact, and injuries – India’s Australia tour will have a fine outing with these words when both sides face each other in Gabba. Brisbane’s ground is the only ground where India haven’t won a single Test in the history, and Gabba is the ground where Australia retained its pride with a winless streak from 32 years. Border-Gavaskar Trophy is in its final stage, and Australia have to win this game to take this trophy back after 2014-15. It’s been five years, and Aussies have played 11 Tests since the last series triumph against India, and they won only three.
On the other side, India have defeated the Aussies, five times, during this run. The previous game was not less than a win for India when they stood up against all the odds and survived three sessions with injuries to script a big turnaround in SCG. Rahane hasn’t lost a single Test as captain, and out of three against Aussies, he has won two matches. Gabba favors the hosts, and the current issues in the Indian team are offering a big boost to Langer’s side. There is a long list of injuries in India, and after the SCG test, few players have also joined this, such as Bumrah, Vihari, and Ashwin. Bumrah and Jadeja both have been ruled out from the fourth test.
India may handover another Test cap of this series, and Natarajan will be the latest name. The left-armer has impressed with his bowling, and he will be a suitable option in Gabba. Australia have more right-handers, and Natarajan can trouble them. Either Washington Sundar or Kuldeep Yadav will also take part if Ashwin remains unfit. Vihari has been ruled out for the next two-three weeks, so India will play with both Pant and Saha. Mayank Agarwal can also get a chance to play in middle-order. India’s opening issue has been solved, but Gill and Rohit both have to score big after a good start. Both threw their wickets in the last match after getting a good stand.
Meanwhile, Australia has one change in the eleven, and Marcus Harris will replace injured-Will Pucovski as an opener. Hosts have a big edge in this match as India will be without its key players. Wounded lions can demolish anything because no one forgets the haunting, and India is entering as an underdog. Australia still has to solve the batting issues. The batting unit is revolving around Labuschagne and Smith. If India picks these two early, Australia will surrender completely. From 206/2, Australia finished on 338 at SCG, and in the entire series, other batsmen failed with the bat. If India manages a draw or a win here, it will be written in bold letters on the history book of Indian cricket.
Pitch Report
Gabba has good bounce, and it’s a pure bowling track. Pacers will have an advantage from the very first day. Batting first would be a safe call, considering the pressure on the fourth and fifth day.
Possible XI
India
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rishabh Pant, Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Natarajan
Australia
David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Key Players
India
Cheteshwar Pujara
WTC 2019-21 – M: 12, Runs: 604, Avg: 30.20
Previous outing: 50 & 77
Ajinkya Rahane
WTC 2019-21 – M: 12, Runs: 922, Avg: 54.23
This series – M: 3, Runs: 207, Avg: 41.40
Australia
Steve Smith
WTC 2019-21 – M: 12, Runs: 1250, Avg: 65.78
Previous outing: 131 & 81
Pat Cummins
WTC 2019-21 – M: 13, Wickets: 64, Avg: 20.67
This series – M: 3, Wickets: 15, Avg: 18.13
