πππππ :Β Australia vs India
ππππ : December 26 ,Thursdayββ
ππππ :β 05:00 AM ISTβββββ
πππππ : Melbourne Cricket Ground, Richmond, Australia
ππππππππππ :ββ 4th Test 2024
- Travis Head has 409 runs at an average of 81.80 with two centuries.
- Jasprit Bumrah has 21 wickets in three tests at an average of 10.91.
- Australia has two wins in the last five Tests against India but they have failed to beat India at MCG since 2011.β¨
Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars
TV channels: The fans can watch the match live on Hotstar
Live Streaming: Live streaming of the match will be available on the FAFA191 Cricket Exchange India and website.
AUS vs IND Match Prediction & Analysis
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series locked at 1-1, cricket fans worldwide eagerly await the highly anticipated fourth Test between India and Australia, set to begin on December 26, 2024βa showdown coinciding with the legendary Boxing Day Test. The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, will host the test between December and 30th December.
In the last test, India survived the Australian pace attack with the help of the rain. Steven Smith and Travis Headβs centuries guided Australia to 445 in the first innings. India Managed to avoid the follow-on due to the 47-run partnership between Bumrah and Aksh Deep for the last wicket. India then bowled with great determination to force Australia to declare on 89 for losing seven wickets. The rain interrupted the game for the nth time before they decided to call it an end. Bumrah took 9 wickets in the test with six of them taken in the first innings.
TEAMS PREVIEW
Australia Preview
Australia have bolstered their top order by adding Sam Konstas. The hosts face a significant concern as none of their three top-order batters have scored over a hundred runs in the series so far. Marnus Labuschagne, with a series-high of just 82 runs, underscores the struggles at the top. Usman Khwaja will open the innings with Konstas. Khwaja has played 6 tests at MCG scoring 422 runs at an average of 57. But Labuschagne has some bad memories at this ground averaging just 30.
Steve Smith and Travis Head will come in the middle for Australia. Both scored centuries in the last game. Smith is familiar with MCG ground. In 18 innings, he has scored 1093 runs at an average of 78.07. This includes four centuries and five half-centuries. Travis Head is currently the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 409 runs at an average of 81.80. He will be the batter to watch out for.
India Preview
With the ICC Test Championship Final spot under threat, India will take the field with enormous pressure. Yashaswi Jaiswal will open the innings with KL Rahul. KL Rahul has been a standout performer for India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, showcasing remarkable consistency at the top of the order. The leading run-scorer for India has 235 runs at an average of 47. Jaiswal, his partner, is the third leading run-scorer of the tournament with 193 runs. but he lacks consistency. Shubhman Gill will come at number three. The princeβs form has been poor this year. In two tests, he has scored 60 runs.
Virat Kohli will come in the middle with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. Kohli scored a ton in the first Test. Besides that, he has just 23 runs in the remaining four innings. His inability to play the offside balls has been the talk of the cricket world in the last week. Sharma has been out of form since the start of 2023. Since Jan 2023, Sharma has scored 1152 runs in 37 tests at an average of 32. But the shocking part comes when he faces the good-length balls. He averages 12 while facing good length balls for the last two years. Ravindra Jadeja scored 77 runs in the only innings he played so far. His average in Australia is now better than Virat Kohli’s.
Weather Conditions
The weather at MCG is expected to be cloudy on match day, with temperatures ranging between 17 and 29 degrees Celsius. Winds will blow from the southeast at 6-11 km/h. It gives a good balance for both bowlers and batsmen. Bowlers can benefit from the pitch in the early stages, which offers a nice bounce. As the game goes on and the pitch gets older, batsmen can play their shots comfortably.
AUS vs IND Pitch Report
The game will be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne on 26th December onwards. The stadium has a capacity of 100000 spectators. The stadium has hosted 117 Tests, 161 ODIs and 27 T20s. Cricket’s first ODI match was also held at the MCG.
Toss: To Bat
In 117 Tests played here, the results have favored teams defending the target on 57 occasions while 42 have been won by the teams chasing it. The average first-innings score is 307 with the highest total of 624. The team winning the toss should bat first.
