Watch cricket video highlights of India tour of Australia 2024. 4th Test between Australia and India. Venue of the match will be Melbourne.
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Focus has been on the MCG pitch, which has turned into a treasure trove for quicks. According to curator Matt Page, he will adhere to the strategy that has worked well in previous seasons, which calls for leaving about 6 mm of grass on the ground. It’s usually a surface where you bowl first, but this time it may be different, according to Australia coach Andrew McDonald. The pitch could accelerate up earlier than usual due to the forecast for a scorching opening day with temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius.
Although there is a potential of showers on the second day, the rest of the weather is good, with temperatures becoming more comfortable starting on day three. Although Rohit Sharma has not confirmed his batting position before of the match, it is doubtful that India would split the opening combination. Rohit Sharma’s batting position is still a heated subject. The other main point of contention is whether to play Washington Sundar as a backup all-rounder and choose a 3-2 mix of speed and spin.
Or to continue with Nitesh Kumar Reddy and select another specialist quickly (which would prolong the tail). Boland will replace the injured Josh Hazlewood, while Konstas’ debut was confirmed on Christmas Eve. Despite suffering a quad pain at the Gabba, Head managed to pass a fitness test on Christmas Day. In this series, one of India’s greats has retired. And there are rumors circulating about who may be the next. Virat Kohli’s second innings in Perth stopped a century drought, but other from that.
He appears to be an anomaly with a trend in his dismissals: pushing hard at the ball outside off stump. He was attempting to drive an especially wide cargo in Brisbane. He scored 169 and 54 in a thrilling Test match at the MCG in 2014, and he went on to earn a solid 82 as captain in 2018 to help set the stage for a historic win that eventually clinched that series. He missed India’s resounding victory in 2020. What’s in store for 2024? Currently nearing the end of his lowest-scoring Test season since 2013, Usman Khawaja averaged 19.00 in just three games.
He scored 337 runs at 24.07 in 2024, including just one fifty. But, like Smith prior to his Gabba century, the Australian team believes he is out of runs rather than out of form. With the SCG ending in just over a year, Khawaja has mentioned that he has the Ashes next year on his radar. However, whether he makes it there may depend on the outcome of the Sri Lanka series and these next two Test matches.
This is significant. India will keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if they win at the MCG. Australia is still on course to defeat India in a series for the first time in ten years if they prevail. If India loses, they have little control over their destiny in the World Test Championship (WTC), but they might still win the series trophy. A loss for the host team would raise serious concerns. A draw would seem improbable with a strong prediction, especially considering the ground’s recent performance.
Additionally, everything that happens on Boxing Day might be witnessed by almost 90,000 people. Although the events at the Gabba came to a rainy close just six days ago, a lot has transpired since then. Given that Australia was obliged to make a change at the top of the order in an attempt to counterpunch against Jasprit Bumrah, it may appear as though India were ahead if you were unaware of the score. This means that after just 11 first-class games, 19-year-old Sam Konstas will make an incredible debut. But the guests have likewise had an odd few days.
When India was handed old pitches to train on at the MCG, there were rumors of a conspiracy; Ravindra Jadeja only answered questions in Hindi at a press conference, which irritated some people; and Virat Kohli got into an altercation with a reporter at the Melbourne airport. In the meantime, they continue to search for additional runs from a struggling top order and adequate assistance for Bumrah. In terms of personnel, India doesn’t seem to have much control over the batting order; instead, they will hope that someone will take KL Rahul’s lead.
Rain was a constant threat in Brisbane, and Adelaide was over little over an hour into the third day, so there hasn’t been much real cricket played in the previous two Test matches. However, Australia has taken the lead since Perth. But with the score at 1-1, they don’t have much leeway to have a horrible day. As experienced batsmen Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne continue to score few runs, Australia’s top order is still under pressure to bench Nathan McSweeney in favor of Konstas at such a pivotal point in the series.
The game-changer has been Travis Head, who sustained a quad niggle in Brisbane but is now fully recovered, while Steven Smith’s hundred was well-timed and he was playing with great fluidity at the finish. Australia’s pace-bowling depth is demonstrated by Scott Boland’s ability to return to a ground where he has had a great deal of success, most notably his 6 for 7 against England in 2021–2022. Though don’t discount Bumrah winning it almost by himself for India, who haven’t lost a Test at the MCG since 2011, it may be the difference-maker.
