At the start of the series between India and Australia, not many people would have predicted that the series would still be alive heading into the final Test.
Nearly everyone expected India to steamroll the Australian team, especially considering the record of the visitors in Asian conditions in the recent past. But that’s not how things have played out.
Australia, under the captaincy of Steve Smith, have fought hard and now go into the final Test needing just a draw to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With the series level at 1-1, there is pressure on the Indian team to force a result at the picturesque HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The hosts have won every Test series at home over the last four years and will not want that run to end here.
DATE, TIME, VENUE INFO
Date: 25 March – 29 March 2017
Time: 09:30 local time (IST), 04:00 GMT, 08:00 GST
Venue: HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala.
WHERE TO WATCH, LIVE STREAMING INFO
TV: UAE – OSN Sports Cricket HD, India – Star Sports 1, HD 1 [English], Star Sports 3, HD 3 [Hindi]
Online streaming: hotstar.com, Hotstar app [in India only]
LIVE blog: Sport360 blog
TEAM NEWS, SQUAD, PREDICTED XI
INDIA SQUAD: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Abhinav Mukund, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer.
The big talking point before the start of the Dharamsala Test is, of course, the availability of India captain Virat Kohli. The 28-year-old is a doubtful starter after having injured his shoulder in the previous match in Ranchi.
Kohli, in the pre-match press conference, said that he will play only if he is 100% fit after undergoing fitness tests. If he does not play, it will come as a huge blow for the Indian team as not only is he the skipper but also one of the best batsmen in the side.
Shreyas Iyer has been called into the side as a back-up and could get a game if, (i) Kohli is not fit, and (ii) the Indian think-tank decide to stick with the four-bowler strategy.
In the bowling front, Mohammed Shami has been added to the squad and is likely to feature in the match.
PREDICTED INDIA XI: Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Kohli (c), Rahane, Karun, Saha (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Umesh, Shami.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Stephen O’Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins.
The pitch in Dharamsala is expected to have a bit more in it for the pacers compared to the previous wickets in the series and hence, there is talk that Australia might play an extra pace bowler.
So far, in all the Test matches on this tour, the Australians have gone in with two fast bowlers and two spinners, but one of the spinners could make way for Jackson Bird on Saturday.
Although opening batsman David Warner has been out of form, there are no questions about his place in the side.
PREDICTED AUSTRALIA XI: Warner, Renshaw, Smith (c), S Marsh, Handscomb, Maxwell, Wade (wk), Cummins, O’Keefe, Lyon, Hazlewood.
FORM
(Last five Test matches – with latest match first)
INDIA: D W L W W
AUSTRALIA: D L W W W
MATCH PREDICTION
India to win.
