Australia vs India, Boxing Day Test: Key player battles
Australia and India are set to lock horns in the Boxing Day Test traditionally held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), starting December 26. The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy is currently tied at 1-1 after the Brisbane match was drawn. The impending clash in Melbourne offers quite a few intriguing player battles. Here are a few of them.
Sam Konstats vs Jasprit Bumrah
Australia have added Sam Konstas to their Playing XI in place of Nathan McSweeney, who has fared poorly in the series so far. Konstats, who slammed a century in pink-ball practice game, is expected to deliver the goods for Australia from the top. However, a fired-up Jasprit Bumrah remains a hurdle for Konstas. The Indian speedster is currently the highest wicket-taker of the series.
Travis Head vs Jasprit Bumrah
The battle between Australia's best batter (Travis Head) and India's best bowler (Bumrah) will once again take center stage, this time at the MCG. Bumrah has dismissed Head twice in the series so far.
Rohit Sharma vs Pat Cummins
Indian captain Rohit Sharma continues to be in a downward spiral in terms of batting. Rohit, who has recorded scores of 3, 6, and 10, fell to his counterpart Pat Cummins in Brisbane. Notably, the Australian Test skipper has now dismissed Rohit as many as six times in 12 innings. Rohit's average has further fallen to 20.66 against Cummins in the format.
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Mitchell Starc
Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed a hisoric century in the series opener in Perth, which helped India gain a 1-0 lead. However, his on-field banter with Mitchell Starc seems to have ignited the star pacer. Starc sent Jaiswal back cheaply in both Adelaide and Brisbane. The Aussie left-arm seamer has perturbed Jaiswal with his swinging full-length deliveries.
