Team India would be looking to bounce back and take the lead in the ongoing series when they lock horns against Australia in the fourth Test.
The highly-anticipated Boxing Day Test will start on Thursday (December 26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.
The visiting batters will have their task cut out in Melbourne after poor outings in the last two Tests.
Barring the second innings of the Perth Test, most of the visiting batters have struggled to make an impact in the series and will be desperate to turn things around in the upcoming game.
In the third Test, India were all out for just 260 runs in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 445 runs. In the second innings, Australia were 89/7 when they decided to declare their innings with less than a day remaining in the Test. The visitors were on 8/0 when the umpires decided to end the proceedings due to poor light and rain in reply.
With both the teams now gearing up for the fourth Test, we are taking a look at India Playing 11 for the crucial contest.
India Playing 11 vs Australia- 4th Test, India tour of Australia 2024-25
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul look set to be the openers in the Playing 11 once again. Even though Rahul was promoted as an opener just for the first Test in the absence of captain Rohit Sharma, he has managed to make the most of the opportunity.
Rahul has been one of the most reliable batters in the series. Even in the third Test, he was one of the very few positives for the visiting side. The right-handed batsman top-scored for the team in the first innings, scoring 84 runs while no other player from the visitors top six managed to score more than 10.
Jaiswal, on the other hand, scored just 4 runs in the first innings. The youngster started the series with a stunning ton in Perth and will be hoping to replicate that performance in Melbourne.
Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy
The team management is unlikely to make any changes to the middle and lower order for the third IND vs AUS Test. Shubman Gill is set to bat at number three and will be eyeing a big score after being dismissed for 1 run in the third Test.
Virat Kohli will also be under pressure after managing to score only 3 runs in the previous Test. Rishabh Pant has failed to live up to the expectations as well. The wicketkeeper-batsman is one of India’s most important players but has not managed to deliver.
In the previous Test, he could score only 9 runs and will be eyeing a good outing at the MCG. Captain Rohit Sharma will be once again under the scanner and will be desperate to hit back at his critics. He was out for only 10 runs in the last Test.
Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy are likely to be the two all-rounders in the team. While Jadeja failed to impress with the ball, he made amends with the bat. In the first innings, he scored 77 runs to take India’s score past the 200-run mark. Reddy, on the other hand, scored only 16 runs but is set to retain his spot in the India Playing 11.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Jasprit Bumrah will be leading India’s pace attack and will have the company of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. While Bumrah did well in the first innings of the third Test, Siraj and Akash Deep failed to impress. They will be eyeing a better display in the fourth Test.