Buoyed by the inclusion of senior pro Rohit Sharma, a rejuvenated Indian team will take on Australia in the traditional New Year Test in Sydney, starting from Thursday (January 7). With the four-match Boarder-Gavaskar Trophy tied 1-1, this much-anticipated third Test match carries a lot of significance and for many the momentum is currently with the Indian team following their empathic triumph in Melbourne.
On the eve of the match, India announced their XI in which they handed a Test debut to pacer Navdeep Saini in place of injured Umesh Yadav alongside bringing in Rohit by dropping out of form opener Mayank Agarwal. This will be Rohit’s first Test appreacnce since November 2019. Also, this is going to be the first occasion he will open the innings in a Test match outside Asia and let’s not forget that he is going into the game without any real match practice. Hence, against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood it is going to be an acid Test for the new Indian Test vice-captain.
In hindsight, the Australians are looking to start 2021 with a fresh approach. Throughout this series, their batting has struggled to generate any flow against the versatile Indian bowling and with Steve Smith being out of form, things have gone from bad to worse for the hosts. Hence, they are now fast-tracking the return of David Warner who got injured during the white-ball leg of the tour. Furthermore, skipper Tim Paine has given enough hints to suggest that youngster Will Pucovski could make his debut at SCG, which means Australia may field a brand new opening pair in this Test.
Pitch and conditions:
Of late Sydney has experienced some heavy rainfall. Though the weather has started to improve but the pitch is bound to have some moisture underneath. There is a fair bit of grass cover on the surface as well. Furthermore, the met department has predicted a cloudy day with a few spells of shower on Thursday. Hence, despite Sydney being a bat first wicket traditionally, on this occasion captains might need to reconsider their strategy after winning the toss here. However, as the game progresses, spinners will come into the play, especially in the third and fourth innings.
Chatter from both camps:
“We all are really excited to have him [Rohit] back. His experience at the highest level matters a lot. He is batting really well in the nets. He has had seven nets sessions. He came to Melbourne, and started his practice straightaway after the Test got over. He has been batting really well. The last couple of series he has batted as an opener, so you will definitely see Rohit at the top [of the order],” says the stand-in Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane said on Rohit’s inclusion.
“There will be anxiety I’m sure for everyone watching someone play in their first Test match, there always is. Will has been hit in the head a few times but he plays the short ball really well and as long as he’s comfortable we’re comfortable and so far he’s indicated that he’s good to go and it’s not a concern to him,” says Tim Paine on the possible short ball strategy of the Indians against Pucovski.
India XI for Sydney Test:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (C), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Likely XI of Australia:
David Warner, Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (C & WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon
Match starts: 10.30 AM Local, 5 AM IST