The much anticipated third test between the heavyweights- Australia and India is set to take at place at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting Thursday. The four match series is currently levelled at one apiece.
Talk about comeback, We saw the Men in Blue defy all the odds to make a stunning comeback against the mighty Aussies and it was marked one of biggest comebacks in cricket history. It was a spectacular achievement for Team India to overcome the Aussies despite the ghosts of Adelaide haunting them and the absence of their skipper- Virat Kohli.
The last two matches promises to be even more thrilling as both the sides will feature their ace players- David Warner and Rohit Sharma. The return of the two flamboyant openers is guaranteed to make the clash an entertaining one.
In addition to taking a lead in the 4-match series, both the teams will also have in mind the ICC test championship in mind. New Zealand have been racing away the table after their recent success at home against the West Indies and Pakistan. A win here for India could see them closer to the Aussies on the table.
Both the teams showed how good they can be under pressure. The crucial 3rd test will decide the fate of the series to an extent. Can Rahane keep his undefeated record as captain intact? Or will the Aussies bounce back to take a 2-1 lead?
Match Toss Time: 10:00 Local (04:30 IST)
Match Start Time: 10:30 Local (05:00 IST)
Match Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Weather Report
The conditions are ideal for cricket as it is expected to be clear and sunny throughout the course of the 5 days. The temperature is expected to be hovering in the 22-17 degree Celsius and the humidity is likely to float around early sixties.
Pitch
The pitch in Sydney is known to be batsmen friendly and the same expected for this encounter as well. The team winning the toss should be looking to bat first as scoring more than 380 would not be a tough task. Said that, the pitch is expected to deteriorate in the last 2 days and that is likely to allow the bowlers to dictate the proceedings.
Team News
Australia will be delighted with the return of their opener David Warner. He is likely to replace Joe Burns in the top order. They would also be hoping their ace player Steve Smith gets going in this important clash as he has been out of form in the last couple of games. Another change the Aussies would opt for is replacing Travis Head with Will Pucovski as Head has been struggling to deliver.
India on the other hand is all set to feature ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma , who is returning from an injury. The most successful IPL captain will have all the eyes towards him as a lot is expected from the Right-hander. His return is likely to be at the cost of Mayank Agarwal.
India have had another injury concern in their bowling department in the form of Umesh Yadav. It has given India an opportunity to add the latest sensation T. Natarajan into the squad. Though Navdeep Saini is likely to make it to the playing Xl ahead of T. Natarajan for this all important encounter. With KL Rahul being ruled out of the series due to an injury to his wrist and for that reason Hanuman Vihari will retain his place in the playing Xl.
Probable Playing Xl
Australia (Aus): David Warner, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Will Pucovski, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (C & WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India (Ind): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Siraj, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
Aus vs Ind Fantasy Team
Matthew Wade, Steve Smith, David Warner, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Jasprit Bumrah, T. Natarajan
Captain Picks: Ajinkya Rahane (Ind), Pat Cummins (Aus)
Vice-captain Picks: David Warner (Aus), Ravichandran Ashwin (Ind)
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