IND vs AUS: Indian Cricket Team playing 11 for 4th test against Australia, Melbourne, BGT 2024-25 - Predicted

The IND vs AUS series stands levelled 1-1 after three test matches.

The IND vs AUS test series 2024-25 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) stands on a delicate point. After three test matches, the scoreline is 1-1 with two tests to go.

India registered a 295-run win in Perth, but Australia bounced back with a 10-wicket victory in Adelaide. Australia had their noses in front throughout the Gabba test, but the match ended in a draw due to rain having a huge say on the match.

The action now moves to Melbourne where the Boxing Day test match will be played from December 26. India will take confidence from the fact they have won their last two test matches at the MCG. Overall, they have won four out of 14 tests at the MCG.

Let us see what could be India’s playing XI for the 3rd test.

IND vs AUS: Indian Cricket Team playing 11 for 4th test against Australia – Predicted

1. KL Rahul

KL Rahul was India’s top-scorer in Brisbane and the only one in the top six who could deal with the Australian pacers. He scored 84 runs off 139 balls, showing immense restraint at the balls outside the off-stump.

Rahul is India’s leading run-scorer of the series right now with 235 runs. He seems to have cemented his spot in the opening role once again.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal

While Jaiswal struck 161 in India’s second innings in Perth, the rest of his knocks have been disappointing. His five other knocks have yielded him only 32 runs, and he’s got out twice for a duck to Mitchell Starc. Yet, India are expected to continue with Jaiswal at the top for the 4th test.

3. Shubman Gill

In three innings, Gill has scored 60 runs at a strike rate of 71. He got starts in both his innings in Adelaide but failed to score more than 31 runs in any of them. He’s still looked better than some of his other teammates.

4. Virat Kohli

Similar to Jaiswal, Virat Kohli has had one big knock – 100* in the second innings in Perth – and has failed in others: he’s scored only 26 runs in other four knocks.

He’s not managed to cross 15 in his last three outings, and has continued to fall to the outside off-stump deliveries.

He would be looking to return to form in the fourth test at the MCG, where he played a brilliant innings of 169 in 2014.

5. Rishabh Pant (wk)

Rishabh Pant has failed to lit up the BGT 2024-25 yet as he did on the previous two trips. In five innings, he’s scored a total of 96 runs with a best of 37. It has also not helped Pant that the top-order has failed to survive the new ball for him to make use of the softer ball later on.

6. Rohit Sharma (C)

The walls seem to be getting closer on the test career of Rohit Sharma. He’s been in terrible form recently: in his last seven tests, he’s averaged 11.69 with only one score of more than 25.

In the two tests in the BGT 2024-25, Rohit has scored 19 runs, less than even Jasprit Bumrah.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

India rolled through each of their three spinners in the first three tests of this series. Of the three, Ravindra Jadeja made the biggest impact with the bat, scoring 77 runs in Brisbane, his knock proving to be vital in India avoiding the follow-on. With the ball, though, Jadeja fared disappointingly, leaking 95 runs in 23 overs.

India are expected to stick with Jadeja for the remainder of the two tests of the series.

8. Nitish Kumar Reddy

Nitish Kumar Reddy is currently India’s third-highest scorer of the series with 179 runs, scored at a strike rate of 72. He’s also thrice top-scored in the innings for India. Reddy has taken three wickets as well and been a good supporting bowler to the three main pacers.

9. Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah has been the standout bowler of the series so far. Leading the wickets chart, Bumrah has taken 21 wickets at an average of 10.9 with two five-fors.

Bumrah holds the record for the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler at the MCG for the 6/33 he claimed in 2018. In 2020, he took six wickets in the match.

10. Akash Deep

In Brisbane, Akash Deep bowled much better than his match figures of 3/123 suggest. He replaced Harshit Rana in the playing XI and was impressive. He is expected to be retained for the MCG test, where he would get good help from the surface.

11. Mohammed Siraj

Although Siraj has taken 13 wickets at 23 in this series, he’s not been as effective with the new ball as the Indian team would have liked him. The lack of new-ball wickets from Siraj has hurt India.

Nonetheless, Siraj has bowled a couple of good spells and would hope to do well at the MCG, where he picked five wickets in the match in 2020.

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