India and Australia will lock horns at The Gabba in Brisbane in what is expected to be a blockbuster third Test between the two top-ranked teams in the world. While India decimated Australia by 295 runs at Perth, the hosts came back strongly, thrashing the visitors by 10 wickets in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval. (Streaming | Preview | More Cricket News)
India have happy memories of The Gabba – they recorded a historic series victory the last time they played at the venue in 2021. Rishabh Pant smashed an unbeaten 89 to help the visitors chase down the set-target of 328 on Day 5 of the Test. It meant that India had become the first team after West Indies (1980s & 1990s) and South Africa (between 2008 & 2016-17) to register two consecutive Test series wins Down Under.
However, there are in the Indian camp which need to be addressed ahead of the third Test in Brisbane. The biggest question on everyone라이브 바카라 mind is where to slot in the out-of-form captain – Rohit Sharma? There is also some talk of Washington Sundar again replacing R Ashwin to make use of the extra bounce at The Gabba, while Akash Deep is touted to replace Harshit Rana in the playing XI.
The Gabba had been Australia라이브 바카라 fortress since 1988 till the defeat to India in 2021. West Indies then pulled off a stunning upset at the venue last year.
Should Rohit Sharma move back to the top of the order?
Rohit Sharma is in woeful form with the bat. He has scored just 597 runs in 23 Test innings this year at a paltry average of 27.13. Rohit라이브 바카라 numbers in the last six Tests are even more dismal, with an aggregate of 142 runs at an average of 11.83 with just one fifty-plus score.
The skipper missed the Perth Test due to personal reasons and pushed himself down to the middle order in Adelaide after the success of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the series opener. That did not pay dividends exactly as he was dismissed for a single-digit score in both the innings against the pink ball. Rohit looked tentative and scratchy during his short and uncomfortable stay at the crease.
He is reportedly likely to move back to the top of the order – a position which transformed his career since he was first pushed up in the home series against South Africa in 2019. Rohit has an average of 44 with nine tons as opener.
There is also a thought that he may like the ball coming onto the bat and take the attack to the Australian bowlers, unleashing India라이브 바카라 own version of Bazball – as he showcased against Bangladesh in Kanpur and has done successfully in limited-overs cricket since the end of 2021. A calculated risk against the Australian pace trio may be a better bet for Rohit to regain his lost touch than trying to negotiate the pace, seam and swing with ‘normal’ defensive cricket.
Akash Deep in for Rana?
Harshit Rana was impressive at Perth, bowling with pace and hitting the right lengths. He got three wickets in the first innings, including the big scalp of Travis Head with a peach of a delivery which took the left-hander라이브 바카라 off-stump. However, the seamer seemed to have lost a bit of steam with the pink ball and was hammered for 86 runs in 16 overs without picking a wicket in the first innings at Adelaide.
Rana was either too short or too full and bowled a number of deliveries down the leg side, which were easy pickings for the Australian batters. Just for perspective, Rana beat the batters with 8.3% of his deliveries in Adelaide while this percentage was 9.8% in Perth.
Akash Deep had a fine start to his Test career and left a mark on debut against England at Ranchi earlier this year. He saw the back of the top 3 English batters and consistently bowled in or just outside the corridor of uncertainty. His discipline in line and length and ability to move the ball either way make him a dangerous new ball bowler, especially in Brisbane where there will be help for the fast bowlers at this time of the year. He can also bowl long spells and tie one end up which will create pressure on the batters.
Ashwin as the lone spinner?
R Ashwin did not bag a heap of wickets in Adelaide but was still impressive in the first innings, where he saw the back of Mitchell Marsh and was also very restrictive even as the Indian pacers (with the exception of Jasprit Bumrah) went for plenty. The off-spinner was unlucky as he should have got Travis Head when the latter was on 76 but Mohammed Siraj dropped the catch. Had Siraj held on, it might have been a different story altogether in Adelaide.
Ashwin has a great record against left-handers and has troubled Head, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey in the past. He has dismissed Head three times in 12 innings, Carey – five times in seven innings and Khawaja – four times in eight innings. Ashwin is likely to retain his place in the XI though there are some talks of Sundar replacing him.
Stats that matter
- Australia have lost two of their last four Tests at The Gabba – against India in 2021 and West Indies in 2024. Interestingly, both those matches were in the second half of January. Australia defeated England and South Africa in 2021 and 2022 at the venue when the matches were held in December.
- Pat Cummins has a great record in Brisbane, with 40 dismissals in 7 matches at an average of 18.22 and strike rate of 38.9.
- Steven Smith has scored 821 runs in 10 Tests (17 innings) in Brisbane at an average of 54.73 with three hundreds and as many fifties.
- The Gabba has the best bowling average (24.06) and bowling strike rate (43.7) for pacers amongst the five major Test-playing grounds in Australia since 2021.
