India’s Rohit Sharma (L) chats with a teammate Jasprit Bumrah during a practice session ahead of the fifth cricket Test match between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney on January 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP
A new year with its tidings of hope is the overwhelming theme whenever January chimes in. It is no different this time around, especially for India, as it faces the challenge of altering the script in the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Trailing 1-2, the fifth and final Test commencing at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday (January 3, 2024), presents India with an opportunity for redemption. Winning at Perth, losing in Adelaide, a weather-assisted draw in Brisbane, and a loss in Melbourne, have constituted the report card of Rohit Sharma’s men.
At the SCG with its history weaved around runs and spin, any Asian team should feel optimistic. India is no different though its performance here over the decades reads as one win, seven draws and five losses.
This is the ground in which Ravi Shastri scored a 206 in 1992, a Test in which Shane Warne made his debut. This is the same turf where Sachin Tendulkar posted a 241 in 2004, a knock in which he cut out the cover-drive, a shot that had become his tragic-flaw. Perhaps the last bit offers a lesson to Virat Kohli, who has been fishing outside the off-stump.
India will miss Akash Deep as the speedster is dealing with a back injury. However, the bigger worry is about Rohit. As a captain, his name would be the first one pencilled into the playing eleven. But with coach Gautam Gambhir not being explicit about whether the out-of-form skipper will find a berth, that old Indian cricket imagery of smoke and daggers is in vogue.
It is the last thing anyone needs ahead of a vital face-off. If India does manage to defeat Australia and draw level at 2-2, by virtue of being the defending champion, the visitors would retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
It is imperative that the batters collectively fire. K.L. Rahul’s runs, Nitish Kumar’s consistency, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s promise and the lower-order’s fire-fighting have often rescued India. The others have to contribute too and Shubman Gill, benched at Melbourne, could get a look-in.
On the bowling front, Jasprit Bumrah, who might lead if Rohit is dropped, has been exceptional. It remains to be seen if the think-tank would prefer Prasidh Krishna as the third seamer and stick with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as the two spinners.
Across the dividing line, Australia made one change with Beau Webster replacing Mitchell Marsh. If this is a full-stop for the latter, it could be a mirror reflection of the fate that affected his father Geoff Marsh. The former opener watched his Test career grind to a halt following a lukewarm show against the visiting Indians in the 1991-92 series.
For Pat Cummins, most of his batters have slowly gained form even if they look vulnerable against Bumrah. The Australian skipper and speedster has led from the front and it is one essential trick that Rohit missed in this series. If he does effect a turnaround, sport’s latest miracle would be upon us. For now, it looks remote.
The teams (from)
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, K.L. Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Tanush Kotian.
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Travis Head (vice-captain), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Sean Abbott, Jhye Richardson and Beau Webster.
Match officials: Umpires: Michael Gough and Sharfuddoula; Third umpire: Joel Wilson; Match referee: Andy Pycroft.
Match starts at 5 a.m. IST.
Published – January 02, 2025 04:47 pm IST
