IND vs AUS Match Preview- 4th Test, India tour of Australia 2024-25

The penultimate Test of the ongoing five-match IND vs AUS Test series between India and Australia will be played this week. The Boxing Day Test will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground from Thursday (December 26).

With the IND vs AUS third Test at the Gabba ending in a draw, the series is currently locked at 1-1. Team India drew the first blood in the series by winning the first Test in Perth by a huge margin of 295 runs. After being completely outplayed in the series opener, Australia bounced back with a 10-wicket defeat in the second Test to draw level.

Australia were on the front foot for most of the part in the third Test as well but their hopes of taking the lead in the IND vs AUS series were dashed by rain. Riding on centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith, the reigning WTC champions scored 445 runs in the first innings.

In reply, India could score only 260 runs to concede a big lead of 185 runs. In the second innings, Australia declared 89/7 to set India a target of 275 runs with less than a day remaining. India were on 8/0 when the umpires decided to end the proceedings prematurely due to bad light and rain.

With both the teams now set for the fourth Test in Melbourne, here is the preview for the 4th IND vs AUS Test.

IND vs AUS Match Preview- 4th Test, India tour of Australia 2024-25:

IND vs AUS 4th Test Date and Venue:

The IND vs AUS 4th Test between India and Australia will be starting on Thursday (December 26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne. Here are the session timings for the India vs Australia 4th Test:

• First Session: 5 am – 7 am IST
• Second Session: 7:40 am – 9:40 am IST
• Third Session: 10 am – 12 pm IST

Squads:

India

Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Australia:

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

IND vs AUS Key Battles

Mitchell Starc vs Yashasvi Jaiswal:

India will be hoping to make a good start with the bat in the fourth Test. After poor displays from the batters in the last two Tests, India would be hoping that the batsmen come up with a better performance in Melbourne.

The onus will be on the openers to give the team a good start. While Rahul has looked in good touch, his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal has struggled in the last two Tests.

Jaiswal has been dismissed by Australia's veteran pacer Mitchell Starc three times already in the series. Starc dismissed the young opener for a duck in the first two Tests before dismissing him for 4 in the third Test. This battle will be crucial in the upcoming game and its result could shape up the rest of the innings.

Travis Head vs Jasprit Bumrah:

This is the one battle that could decide the upcoming Test at the MCG. Both Travis Head and Jasprit Bumrah have been in stunning form in this series and will be keen to win this battle.

Head has already scored two centuries and a half-century in three Tests. In the last Test, he smashed 152 runs and will be eyeing more success against India.

On the other hand, Bumrah is the leading wicket-taker in the series. The India pace spearhead has already picked up 21 wickets in the series and the team will be relying on him to ensure that Head does not score big against them once again.

Pat Cummins vs Rohit Sharma:

India captain Rohit Sharma is under immense pressure. He came into the side after the first Test that India won. Since his arrival, India have lost both the Tests and the captain will be desperate to turn things around.

Rohit is facing the heat not only for his captaincy but has batting as well. In three innings so far, he has scored 3, 6 and 10.

Australia captain Pat Cummins has made life tough for Rohit in the series. In three meetings between the two captains so far, Cummins has dismissed Rohit twice already. The Australia star will be eyeing another productive outing against Rohit while the latter will be hoping to make things better.

IND vs AUS Key Players

IND - Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah will be the key players for India.

AUS - Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins will be the key players for Australia.

IND vs AUS Weather And Pitch Report:

The players are likely to witness sunny conditions in Melbourne throughout the Test. The weather forecast does not show rain and the game is likely to take place without any major interruption. On the first day of the Test, the temperature will be hovering in the 30s throughout the day.

Conclusion:

The stage is set for another fierce clash between India and Australia. With the series as well as a place in the World Test Championship at stake, both teams will be desperate to win the upcoming game.