The Indian team made headlines by battling it out on the final day after being on the backfoot all through the SCG test. With the final test at Brisbane being a series decider, India would be eager to clinch the trophy for the third consecutive time.
India under Ajinkya Rahane in Test: Matches 4, Won 3, Lost 0, Draw 1
India at the Gabba in Test: Matches 5, Won 0, Lost 5
INDIA’S PROBABLE XI VS AUSTRALIA
1) Rohit Sharma (VC) – Rohit got starts in both the innings but failed to convert them into big ones. He has to ensure he scores plenty at the top to set up the game for his team.
R Sharma in SCG test: 26, 52
R Sharma in ICC WTC: Inns 8, Runs 634, Avg 79.2, 50s/100s 1/3, HS 212
2) Shubman Gill – Gill continued playing his natural game and brought up his maiden test half century. He has looked comfortable in the opening slot and should ensure he does not give away his start.
Free Press Journal
S Gill in SCG test: 50, 31
3. Cheteshwar Pujara – Pujara shushed all the chatter around him with a determined knock that helped India save the test in SCG. He has an important hand to play for India to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
C Pujara in SCG Test: 50, 77
C Pujara vs Australia in Test: Inns 35, Runs 1812, Avg 54.0, 50s/100s 9/5, HS 204
4) Ajinkya Rahane (C) – Rahane the batsmen had a poor match while Rahane the Captain had a splendid time in SCG. His contribution would decide who gets their hands on the trophy this time.
A Rahane in away test since 2016: Inns 41, Runs 1572, Avg 43.6, 50s/100s 8/4, HS 132
Most runs in ICC WTC: M Labuschagne 1542, S Smith 1250, B Stoke 1131, A Rahane 922, D Warner 899
5) Mayank Agarwal – India will look to play Mayank Agarwal in place of the injured Hanuma Vihari. The Gabba would be the perfect place for him to get back to his form. Agarwal is still uncertain for the final test after getting hit on the hand during training.
New Indian Express
M Agarwal in Test: Inns 21, Runs 1005, Avg 47.8, 50s/100s 4/3, HS 243
6) Rishabh Pant – Pant’s aggressive batting set the tone for the chase in the final day of the SCG. He has continued his constant run in Australia and would like to finish the tour on a high. Pant is still nursing an injury to his left elbow but will play in the Brisbane test.
R Pant in SCG Test: 36(67), 97(118)
R Pant in Australia in Test: 25, 28, 36, 30, 39, 33, 159*, 29, 36, 97
7) Wriddhiman Saha (WK)– Saha would be picked for the final test for his wicket-keeping abilities while Pant would be playing as a specialist batsman.
W Saha in Test: Inns 52, Runs 1251, Avg 29.0, 50s/100s 5/3, HS 117
W Saha in Australia: Inns 8, Runs 124, Avg 15.5, HS 35
8) Ravichandran Ashwin – Thanks to his herculean effort, India managed a draw in SCG. After some below par performances in the past, Ashwin has finally made a mark with the ball and the bat in Australia. Ashwin is still recuperating from back spasms that he had suffered during the SCG test.
India Today
R Ashwin in Test: Inns 138, Wkts 377, Avg 25.5, BBI 7/59
Leading wicket-takers in Border-Gavaskar Trophy: A Kumble 111, H Singh 95, N Lyon 91, R Ashwin 89, R Jadeja 63
9) Shardul Thakur – With Jadeja getting injured, Thakur would be the like for like replacement thanks to his first-class record and his all-round abilities. After a forgettable debut test where he injured himself, Thakur would look to utilise this golden opportunity.
S Thakur in first class: Inns 109, Wkts 206, Avg 28.5, BBI 6/32
10) Mohammed Siraj – Siraj has made an instant impact since his recent debut and will retain his spot for the final match of the series.
M Siraj in this series: 2/40, 3/37, 1/67, 1/90
11) Navdeep Saini – Saini’s debut was a memorable one where he picked up two each in both the innings of the test. His contribution will be vital in the absence of Bumrah.
N Saini in SCG test: 2/65, 2/54
N Saini in first class: Inns 81, Wkts 132, Avg 28.5, BBI 6/32
Subs: Prithvi Shaw, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan.
Indian players injured during the test series: Umesh Yadav [calf], Mohammed Shami [elbow], Ravindra Jadeja [fractured thumb], Hanuma Vihari [hamstring], Jasprit Bumrah [abdominal strain], KL Rahul [wrist]
India TV News
AUSTRALIA’S PROBABLE XI VS INDIA
Australia would be kicking themselves for letting the game slip away in SCG. The host have not got their hands on the Border-Gavaskar trophy since 2014/15 and would be looking forward to the game in Brisbane where they are unbeaten for the past 33 years.
Australia in The Gabba in Test: Matches 62, Won 40, Lost 8, Tied 1, Draw 4
Australia under Tim Paine: Matches 22, Won 11, Lost 7, Draw 4
- David Warner – Yet to recover fully, Australia would still open with Warner thanks to his aggressive approach at the top. Warner has always scored plenty of runs in Gabba which would be an additional motivation for the opener.
D Warner in Gabba: Inns 14, Runs 817, Avg 68.0, 50s/100s 1/4, HS 163
D Warner vs India: Inns 32, Runs 1099, Avg 34.3, 50s/100s 3/4, HS 180
- M Harris – In case Will is not fit before the start of the match, it will be Marcus Harris who would be opening with David Warner. Harris last played a test in Sep 2019 against England where he ended up with scores of 3 and 9.
M Harris in test: Inns 17, Runs 385, Avg 24.0, 50s 2, HS 79
- Steve Smith – Smith found his hands again and scored his 27th test hundred. With the series going down the wire, he would be looking forward in ending it on a high.
S Smith vs India in Test: Inns 26, Runs 1651, Avg 75.0, 50s/100s 4/8, HS 192
S Smith in Brisbane in Test: Inns 10, Runs 579, Avg 64.3, 50s/100s 1/3, HS 141*
- Marnus Labuschagne – Labuschagne came close to scoring a century in both the innings but it wasn’t to be. The leading run getter in ICC WTC will be looking forward in playing in Gabba, his home ground.
M Labuschagne in Brisbane: 185, 81
Most runs in ICC WTC: M Labuschagne 1542, S Smith 1250, B Stoke 1131, A Rahane 922, D Warner 899
Cricket Australia
- Matthew Wade – Wade has not had a great series with his highest being 40 in the 2nd test. It is high time he justifies his selection by scoring big in the Gabba.
M Wade in this series: 8, 33, 30, 40, 13, 4
- Cameron Green – Green got out for a duck in the first innings but made up for it with an expressive 81 which helped his team post a mammoth total over 400 in the previous test. He would continue being the allrounder for Australia in Brisbane too. He is still in search of his first test wicket.
C Green in Test: 11, 12, 45, 0, 84
- Time Paine (C & WK) – The under fire Australian captain has had an average series so far. He has to ensure he walks the talk in the Gabba.
T Paine in this series: 73, 13, 1, 1, 39*
- Pat Cummins (VC) – Cummins antagonized the Indian batsmen with his fiery short balls and accurate lines. He would be coming out all guns blazing in Brisbane which has been one of his favourite hunting grounds In Australia
Most wickets in ICC WTC: S Broad 66, P Cummins 64, N Lyon 53, T Southee 51, J Hazlewood 42
P Cummins in Brisbane: Inns 6, Wkts 19, Avg 15.7, BBI 6/23
- Mitchell Starc – Starc has picked only nine wickets at 31.6 this series. He has looked out of sorts with majority of his deliveries going down leg. Starc would come off good in Gabba which assist the pacers with a bit of bounce and movement.
M Starc in test: Inns 115, Wkts 253, Avg 27.1, BBI 6/50
M Starc at home in test: Inns 67, Wkts 159, Avg 26.2, BBI 6/66
The Australian
- Josh Hazlewood – It was Hazlewood that provided the important breakthroughs in both of innings of the third test. His performance would be central to Australia getting the elusive Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
J Hazlewood vs India: Inns 26, Wkts 45, Avg 27.6, BBI 6/67
- Nathan Lyon – Lyon bowled a lion share in the SCG test but missed his chances due to sloppy fielding. He would be playing his 100th test on Friday and would become the thirteenth Australian to do so.
Leading wicket takers in Border-Gavaskar Trophy: A Kumble 111, H Singh 95, N Lyon 91, R Ashwin 89, R Jadeja 63
Most wickets by a spinner in Test: M Muralitharan 800, S Warne 708, A Kumble 619, R Herath 433, H Singh 417, N Lyon 396
Subs: Michael Neser, Moises Henriques, James Pattinson, Mitchell Swepson, Sean Abbott, Travis Head
Australian players injured during the test series: Will Pucovski [shoulder]
Australia vs India – Head-to-Head
The SCG test witnessed the 28th draw between Australia and India. India still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to Head-to-Head against Australia especially in Australia. However, the visitors have made inroads in the last five years.
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
The series hangs in the balance with both the teams winning one each. The finale comes to the Gabba which the host would accept with open arms thanks to their incredible unbeaten record. The last time Australia lost a test match in the Gabba was against West Indies in 1988. Since then, they have played a total of 31 matches winning 24, with a win percent of 77.4.
The Gabba is known for its batting paradise and the team winning the toss should look to pile on the runs. It has favoured the quicks in the past and would be interesting to see how the inexperienced Indian pace attack bowl.
The Australian pacers have made the Gabba their den and their stats are a witness to that. The host have used the home advantage to the T and have reaped double the rewards as compared to their oppositions.
Fast bowlers in Brisbane since 2015
| Australia | Matches | Visitors |
| 5 | 5 | |
| 81 | Wickets | 34 |
| 22.5 | Avg | 50.8 |
| 2.9 | Economy | 3.4 |
| 45.5 | Strike Rate | 88.7 |
| 1 | 5-fers | 1 |
UPCOMING RECORDS
- Nathan Lyon will be playing his 100th test match for Australia and will become the thirteenth Australian to do so.
- Nathan Lyon needs four more wickets to become the sixth spinner in history of test cricket to pick up 400 wickets.
- Ajinkya Rahane needs 78 runs to become the first Indian to score 1000 runs in ICC WTC.
- Rishabh Pant needs 24 runs for 1000 runs in Test cricket.
ICC World Test Championship Points Table
Australia sits at the top of the ICC WTC points table even though New Zealand and India are way ahead in points. This is due to the introduction of percentage of points (PTC).
If Australia win the Gabba test, they would score 30 points and would remain in the top with 362 points and 75.4 as PTC. India would drop to third with 66.6 PTC and would go below New Zealand.
New Indian Express
If India win the Gabba test, they would get 30 points and would top the table with 430 points and 71.6 as PTC. Australia would drop down to third with 332 points and 69.1 as PTC.
In case of a draw, both teams would share 10 points each with Australia staying at the top with 71.2 and India at third position with 68.3 points.
The result of Sri Lanka vs England starting a day before the Gabba test will not impact the standings of Australia, India and New Zealand. If England win, they would get 60 points and 65.2 as PTC and would remain fourth in the table.
| Team | Series Played | Series Won | Match | Won | Lost | Draw | Total Points | Points | PTC** |
| Aus | 4* | 2 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 450 | 332 | 73.8 |
| Ind | 5* | 3 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 570 | 400 | 70.2 |
| NZ | 5 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 600 | 420 | 70 |
| Eng | 4 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 480 | 292 | 60.8 |
| SA | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 360 | 144 | 40 |
| Pak | 5 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 540 | 166 | 30.7 |
| SL | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 360 | 80 | 22.2 |
| WI | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 360 | 40 | 11.1 |
| Ban | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 |
*In Progress
**As per the current regulations WTC league standings is determined by the percentage of points (PCT) earned by teams. PCT is the percentage of points won out of the total number of points contested by each team.