IND vs AUS, 4th Test: Head to Head, Playing XI, Preview, Where to Watch on TV, Online, and Live Streaming Details

India need a win in the fourth Test to qualify for the WTC final on their own.

Published - 08 Mar 2023, 18:23 IST | Updated - 08 Mar 2023, 18:18 IST

4 Min Read

Having defeated India in the third Test under seven sessions, Australia are riding high on confidence coming into the fourth Test scheduled to be played on March 9 (Thursday) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The Aussies ticked all the boxes in Indore and dominated the home team with both bat and ball.

Nathan Lyon was the star of the show who registered figures of 11/99 to dismantle the Indian batting. He picked up his second eight-fer against India in the second innings finishing with figures of 8/64. With a win in the third Test, Australia have confirmed their berth in the final of the World Test Championship scheduled to be played from June 7 at The Oval in London.

Led by Steve Smith, in the absence of regular captain Pat Cummins, the Aussies have a great chance of levelling the series and ending India’s run of 15 consecutive series wins at their home. With the likes of Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann in full form, the Aussies have a great chance to go back undefeated from India for the first time since 2004.

On the other hand, the loss in the third Test has put the home team in a precarious situation with a berth in the World Test Championship final at stake. India desperately need a win in the third Test to seal their spot in the WTC final or else their fate will be in the hands of New Zealand who will also start their two-match series against Sri Lanka from March 9.

Even a draw won’t be able to aid India’s cause as they need a win to crush Sri Lanka’s chances of qualification. The Lankan Lions can knock out India by whitewashing New Zealand. India’s batting woes have troubled them throughout the series as they’ve been carried by their all-rounders. With their backs against the wall, their batters need to step up and stand tall against the spin threat of Australia.

Pitch and Conditions

After the pitch at Holkar Stadium in Indore for the third Test was rated poor by the ICC, the Gujarat Cricket Association is unlikely to harm its reputation and has reportedly prepared a sporting wicket for the fourth Test. The pitch is expected to have a good balance between bat and ball as India’s strategy of preparing a rank turner backfired in the third Test.

Probable Playing XI for IND vs AUS 4th Test

India

India decided to rest Mohammed Shami in the third Test and the speedster will reportedly make a comeback in the final Test. With the ODI series approaching, the team management will likely rest Mohammad Siraj as he’s set to feature in all three matches of the upcoming series.

The last and final change could be of wicketkeeper batter Srikar Bharat who has failed to leave a mark in the series so far. The team management might be tempted to go with Ishan Kishan who can attack against the spinners much like Rishabh Pant.

Probable Playing XI - Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

Australia

In the third Test, Australia fielded their strongest eleven from the players available in the squad and will likely field the same XI for the fourth Test. The spin trio of Kuhnemann, Murphy, and Lyon used the favourable conditions to full advantage and brought the Indian batting down to their knees.

In batting, Usman Khawaja has been in great form as he scored another fifty in the third Test while Head played a brilliant counter-attacking knock to chase down 76 without any trouble.

Probable Playing XI - Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann