India vs Australia, 3rd Test: Rohit Sharma elects to bowl
The third Test between India and Australia will start on December 14 at The Gabba in Brisbane. The venue is historically significant for India as they registered a memorable win here in 2021, breaking Australia's 32-year unbeaten streak at the stadium. Notably, the ongoing series is evenly poised at 1-1. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss in the third game and elected to bowl first.
Australia's confidence bolstered by Adelaide victory
Australia walk into the match with increased confidence after a dominating 10-wicket win in Adelaide. Mitchell Starc, who claimed a six-wicket haul, and Travis Head, who scored a century, were the standout performers. Captain Pat Cummins also did well with a five-wicket haul in India's second innings. India will hope to bounce back from their batting collapse in Adelaide. They had earlier registered a convincing win in the series opener in Perth.
Gabba pitch favors fast bowlers
The Gabba pitch is known for its pace and bounce, favoring fast bowlers but offering opportunities for adaptable batsmen. Historically, there's no clear advantage between batting first or second at this venue. Meanwhile, the match will start at 5:50am IST and will be telecast on Star Sports Network and DD Sports. Disney+Hotstar will provide the live streaming.
Here's the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two teams have faced each other on 109 occasions in the longest format. India have claimed 33 wins, with the Aussies winning 46 matches. 29 matches have been drawn, and one contest ended in a tie. On Australian soil, India have won 10 matches from 53 attempts, losing 31 and drawing 13. Australia have beaten India five times across seven Tests in Brisbane (lost 1, draw 1).
Here are the team changes
Australia's fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has returned to the XI after missing the second Test due to a side strain. He has replaced Scott Boland, despite the latter's strong performance in second match in Adelaide. There are no other changes in the Aussie XI. For India, spin-bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pacer Akash Deep have replaced R Ashwin and Harshit Rana.
Here are the playing XIs
Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
