IND vs AUS, 3rd Test: Hosts elect to bat
Intending to seal the series 3-0, India are up against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series. The hosts firmly dominated the first two matches and recorded comprehensive victories. Availability issues and injuries have added to Australia's agony. Regular skipper Pat Cummins is missing the third Test. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat.
What are the changes in the XIs?
With skipper Cummins missing the fixture, Steve Smith will handle the reins. Meanwhile, Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc have replaced injured David Warner and Cummins in the Australia XI. Travis Head will open the innings. For India, Shubman Gill and Umesh Yadav have come in place of KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami.
Here are the two teams
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(Captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat(Wicket-keeper), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (Captain), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(Wicket-keeper), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The match will be played at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium, a venue where India have lost just once across formats. India have won both the Tests played at this venue. 353 reads the average first-innings score here. Spinners are expected to dominate the proceedings. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (9:30 AM IST) and live-streamed on Disney+Hotstar (paid subscription).
Here's the head-to-head record
India and Australia have locked horns in 104 Tests so far. The Aussies are ahead in terms of head-to-head record, having won 43. While India emerged winners 32 times, 28 games have resulted in a draw (one tie). India have 23 wins and 13 losses versus Australia at home in 52 Tests. Australia last won a Test series versus India in 2014-15.
Here are the key performers
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is currently the highest run-getter in the series with 183 runs. Marnus Labuschagne (119) and Peter Handscomb (109) are the only Australians with 100-plus runs in the series. Ravindra Jadeja took 17 wickets besides smoking 96 runs in the first two Tests. Ravichandran Ashwin owns 14 wickets in the series. For Australia, Todd Murphy owns 10 wickets.
