Hello everyone. A warm welcome from us all here at India.com and a very happy new year. Although it's been just a week this year, it already feels different, at least the Border-Gavaskar Trophy makes us believes so. The first two Tests, both played in December were played in pleasant environment. A little rewind and one would realise that the whit-ball matches also had this friendly feeling. Of course, this is not to say that the edge was missing - there were some superlative performances throughout. However, the build up to the third Test has been a spicy affair. It began with the isolation of five India players who allegedly breached coronavirus prevention protocol. And then came unconfirmed reports that India are unwilling to be placed in quarantine again. Australia captain then admitted few blokes in his camp are a bit uneasy over the ramblings of Indian cricket team and that tension is boiling.
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Will we see the off-field tension spilling onto the field in Sydney?
India vs Australia, 3rd Test Preview
Having touched nadir and zenith in a span of 10 days, Ajinkya Rahane's India will look to start afresh against Australia with the big-hitting Rohit Sharma's presence adding a new dimension to what promises to be an enthralling third Test starting today. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), despite being witness to some extraordinary batting performances from the touring Indian sides over the years, has not exactly been a happy hunting ground with six defeats. The lone win came a good 42 years back. If Rahane's side can go 2-1 up and ensure the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be one of the finest hours in the history of Indian cricket. Making it even more special is the fact that the side has been without two world class performers and a senior pacer against a nearly full-strength Australian team. Seldom has an Australian batting unit, that boasts of a player of Steve Smith's calibre, looked so circumspect and literally intimidated by an Indian bowling unit, which isn't operating at full-strength. Pacer Navdeep Saini will make his debut here, replacing Umesh Yadav who went home following an injury. The pressure is understandable as Australia are literally pushing a 70 per cent fit David Warner out there in the middle to combat fire with fire even as his statements make it clear that he is not at all comfortable with the idea. "He is energetic, professional, who could make an instant impact and fills guys with confidence," Paine's words on the eve of the match indicated their desperation. And in this backdrop, enter Rohit Sharma, whose last couple of months have been loads of off-field drama. TeamsAustralia squad: David Warner, Matthew Wade, Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (captain and wk), Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazzlewood, Marcus Harris, Mitchell Swepson, Michael Neser India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini.