Australia has won the toss and elected to bat first at the biggest cricket stadium in the world for the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad, with plenty at stake for both sides.
The tourists are 1-62 after 16 overs, with Usman Khawaja (18*) and Marnus Labuschagne (1*) at the crease.
MATCH CENTRE: Ahmedabad Test scorecard, stats
It was wayward start for Indian seamers Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav, who bowled several deliveries down the leg side during their opening spell. Shami imitated former England paceman Steve Harmison by bowling the first delivery of the match towards second slip.
Indian wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat put down a regulation chance in the sixth over, gifting Head an extra life on 7 and denying Yadav an early breakthrough.
“It’s as easy as they come,” Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle said.
Former Test batter Matthew Hayden continued: “He just got his hands in the wrong position.”
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India’s first hour was plagued by misfields, inaccurate bowling and lazy wicketkeeping. Shubman Gill missed a difficult run out chance in 12 over, with Khawaja the fortuitous batter on this occasion.
Head departed shortly after the drinks break, charging down the pitch at Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and slapping a regulation catch towards mid-on.
Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese were in attendance, with huge billboards of the pair erected at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium.
Incredibly, neither team were permitted to warm up on the ground during the political event, a development that prompted a stunned reaction from cricket writers covering the match.
The toss was delayed as the Prime Ministers completed a lap of honour. Albanese stood alongside Australian captain Steve Smith during the national anthems.
The hosts can secure berth against Australia in this year’s World Test Championship final with victory, while the tourists can square the series 2-2 in what would represent a fine final result given the brutal conditions and pitches they’ve faced.
Australia named an unchanged XI for the series finale, while Indian paceman Mohammed Shami returned, replacing quick Mohammed Siraj.
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann
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INDIA SKIPPER SLAMS ‘RUBBISH’ CRITICISM
Rohit Sharma has angrily dismissed suggestions his India side had become overconfident, calling the criticism from former head coach Ravi Shastri “absolutely rubbish”.
The hosts took a 2-0 lead in the four-match series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy before losing the third Test in Indore in just over two days.
Shastri accused the team of “a little complacency, a little bit of overconfidence”.
Skipper Rohit hit back, saying: “Honestly, when you win two games and people on the outside feel that we are overconfident, it’s absolutely rubbish, because you want to do your best in all four games.” He called his side “ruthless” more than arrogant.
“Ravi himself has been in this dressing room, he knows what sort of mindset we have,” said Rohit.
India lost the previous match by nine wickets on a viciously turning pitch at Indore, but the track at the world’s biggest cricket stadium is expected to give the batsmen some respite.
Rohit though has had enough of the talk about pitches.
“How challenging the pitches are? How much is it turning? How much is it seaming? We are trying to keep all of that away,” said Rohit
— AFP
SMITH HOPES FOR ‘BIGGER TOTALS’ AS MYSTERY SURROUNDS PITCH
Stand-in Australia skipper Steve Smith said the pitch for the fourth Test looks good for batsmen and different from the usual, vicious day-one turners in the previous matches in India.
“It’s just playing what’s in front of us really, obviously the scores haven’t been big throughout this whole series. India scored 400 in that first Test match and Rohit got 100 and 400 proved to be way too many,” Smith told reporters.
“This wicket may be a little bit different. Perhaps it may not spin as much from the first ball or the first day but I do think it will spin as the game goes on. So yeah, there might be opportunities for bigger totals on this wicket.”
Smith was unsure of which pitch the crunch final Test would be played after the curators kept two tracks covered at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.
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But doubts for the visitors cleared as the day progressed on a hot afternoon in Ahmedabad.
“Yeah rocked up today and there was only one covered so yeah looks like they have chosen,” said Smith.
“Looks like probably of the four wickets we’ve seen so far, potentially the flattest on day one. Having said that, it’s I think 38 degrees out there at the moment, it’s pretty hot. Looks like it’ll dry out as the day goes on.”
The 33-year-old Smith, standing in as captain in place of Pat Cummins, had earlier said he could not recall ever having been in this situation so close to the start of a Test.
India have long been accused of preparing pitches to favour their spinners. The International Cricket Council ruled that the surface in the third Test in Indore — won by Australia — was “poor”.
— AFP
AUSSIE CHANGES UNLIKELY
The tourists switched to a spin-heavy team selection from the second Test in New Delhi and handed India a nine-wicket loss in Indore in just over two days.
Smith strongly hinted that Australia would play the spin trio of Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy again, praising the “variation” that each has been able to produce.
Lyon, an off-spinner, took eight wickets to dismiss India for 163 in their second innings on a pitch that turned from day one in the third Test.
Newcomer Murphy has been economical and got Virat Kohli out three times. “(We have) had faith in what we’re trying to do and it’s good that we are able to show that we can play with three spinners and win,” Smith said.
“They are all different and all have good knowledge of the game (and a) good understanding of what they are trying to do. It’s been great to be able to play spinners and show that we can do it effectively.” Victory in the third Test was only Australia’s second in India since 2004 and Smith believes another to level the series would be an ideal finish.
“For any touring team to come here and win two Test matches will be a huge achievement,” said Smith.
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“Unfortunately we weren’t able to do it earlier in the series to give ourselves a chance to win.
Australia is one victory away from clinching a historic series draw against India in their own backyard.
India has won 15 consecutive Test series on home soil dating back to 2012, a streak that could be broken in the coming days. If Australia pulled off one more miracle in Ahmedabad this week, it would be considered a career-defining feat for the squad.
“It’d be a huge achievement for the group, or any touring team, that comes here to India and wins two Test matches,” Smith told reporters on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it earlier in the series and give ourselves a chance to win, but to draw the series here would be a huge plus and positive for this group.”
Meanwhile, Australia appear set to stick with their battling line-up including Peter Handscomb with Smith refuting claims the veteran played an “un-Australian” innings in the third Test.
SUPPORT FOR HANDSCOMB AFTER LEGEND’S ‘UN-AUSTRALIAN’ CALL
Meanwhile, Australia appear set to stick with their battling line-up including Peter Handscomb with Smith refuting claims the veteran played an “un-Australian” innings in the third Test.
Legendary Test batter Matthew Hayden branded Handscomb’s performance as “un-Australian as the Victorian combined with Cameron Green for a 40-run partnership for the fifth wicket during Australia’s first innings, ensuring the visitors were unscathed for the first hour of day two.
Handscomb was particularly defensive at the crease, hitting one boundary in 98 deliveries before falling victim to Ravichandran Ashwin for 19 – the rest of his runs came from singles.
He repeatedly prodded forward and blocked out India’s world-class spinners, carefully shifting onto the back foot whenever they dropped short, cautious of the wicket’s variable bounce.
“He was very, very defensive with his mindset,” Hayden said in commentary.
“His strike rate of under 20 means that you are not going anywhere, and the scoreboard is not going anywhere, and that’s a product of some really tough batting conditions … he was sort of like a sitting duck in many ways.
“It’s almost un-Australian. I don’t want anyone out there to think that I’m overly criticising Pete, I’m not. It’s just not quite attacking enough. It’s such a tricky balance.”
Smith, though, says he’s “pretty disappointed” with the suggestion.
“I think he’s (Handscomb’s) been outstanding,” Smith said.
“The first two Test matches (31 and 72 not out) in the first innings of both and left pretty much stranded,” Smith said.
“If one of the other top seven were able to get in a partnership with him, things could certainly be different.
“He batted beautifully in the first two, he’s stuck to his method, he’s trusted his defence, and then scored off balls that were either overpitched or too short and played them off the back foot.
“His method has proved it’s worked in difficult conditions.
“So I was shocked to see some comments about the way he was playing because I think him and Uzzy (Khawaja) have probably been arguably our two best batters in this series.”
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