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The iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is all set to host the third Test of the ongoing 4-match series between Australia and India from Thursday (January 7).
It is going to be a crucial game as the side that wins this Test will ensure they won’t lose the Border-Gavaskar series.
The hosts would be looking to make a comeback after losing the second Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) by eight wickets.
On the other hand, the visitors would aim to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the squad for the remaining two Tests.
Pitch and weather report:
The track at SCG is generally good for batting but also offers assistance for pacers in the initial few days. Traditionally, SCG pitch supports spinners in 4th and 5th day of the match.
The match is expected to get interrupted as showers might spoil the fun on the first two days of the contest.
Head to head record:
Matches played: 100 | Australia: 43 | India: 29 | Draw: 27 | Tied: 1
Playing Combination:
Australia
Australia skipper Tim Paine has confirmed that explosive opener David Warner will play in the third Test against India.
The Aussie leader also hinted that Warner’s addition might not be the only change to Australia’s playing XI. This means youngster Will Pucovski will most likely feature in the final XI. And if that happens, then Matthew Wade would shift down the order.
AUS XI: Tim Paine(c, wk), David Warner, Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India
India have already announced their playing XI for the third Test on Wednesday. Rohit is all set to make his comeback after the hamstring injury he suffered during the 13th season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The Mumbaikar shall replace the out-of-form opener, Mayank Agarwal.
Apart from Rohit, pacer Navdeep Saini has been picked as the replacement of injured Umesh Yadav, who had been ruled out of the series remainder. The upcoming fixture at SCG will be the debut Test for Saini.
IND XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini.
