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| Edited By: Pranav Joshi |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Sep 29, 2017, 06:59 PM IST
The fourth Test between India and Australia begins at Sydney on Tuesday. Australia, who are 2-0 up in the series, will be playing their first game at the ground since Phillip Hughes collapsed and died on the same pitch a month and a half ago. India on the other hand, have a new captain in Virat Kohli, and there are rumours he may not prefer to keep MS Dhoni's team from the third Test.
The Sydney Test marks an emotional day for several Australians like David Warner, Shane Watson, Nathan Lyon, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Starc, who were at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Hughes collapsed. For India, it is a new beginning under a far more aggressive captain, and hence a more positive occasion than for the Aussies.
But India will be desperate to win or draw in Sydney, because a loss would mean they sink to No 7 in the ICC Test Rankings. Thankfully, the traditional Sydney pitch offers turn and is superb for batting on the first three days at least. However, how much the curator could do to help Australia remains to be seen. Some Australians, particularly Mitchell Johnson and David Warner, have complained that the pitches have been more benign than usual, which has suited India.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have certainly made the most of the 'benign conditions', if Johnson is telling the truth. Rahane has 348 runs this series at an average of 58, and Kohli has three centuries. If Kohli were to make a fourth one in Sydney, he would join Herbert Sutcliffe and Walter Hammond as only the third batsman to make four centuries on a tour of Australia. And the other two played a long, long time ago.
For Australia, Mitchell Johnson is injured and will be replaced by Mitchell Starc, which should come as a mild relief to the Indians. India will also be looking to ring in some changes. Suresh Raina may get a game in place of KL Rahul, whose irresponsible shotmaking in the third Test might just have prematurely cost him his place. Wriddhiman Saha will take over from MS Dhoni, though there are rumours he has suffered an injury and that Dhoni would be on standby (which would turn out to be a farce if true).
Teams:
Australia - Chris Rogers, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steven Smith (captain), Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
India (probable) - M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.
