The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is currently level at 1-1. The third Test, a highly anticipated Boxing Day match, begins on December 26th. Both India and Australia are looking to gain an advantage before the final Test in Sydney.
The Boxing Day Test is a pivotal match in the series. A win here could provide crucial momentum leading into the World Test Championship final in June.
India has prior experience playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Their last Test at the MCG was in December 2020. Despite the difficulties of a Covid-affected tour, India, led by Ajinkya Rahane, won by eight wickets.
Australia has historically performed well in Boxing Day Tests against India. Their initial seven encounters resulted in five wins and two draws.
However, Australia has lost its last two Boxing Day Tests against India, in 2018 and 2020. This suggests a possible shift in the teams’ dynamics at this venue.
The overall head-to-head record between Australia and India shows Australia with 46 wins, India with 33 wins, 30 draws, and one tie.
In Australia, the head-to-head record stands at 31 wins for Australia, 10 wins for India, and 14 draws.
Over the past 10 years, Australia has eight wins (5 home, 2 away, 1 neutral) and India has nine wins (4 home, 5 away). They have also drawn seven matches (5 in Australia, 2 in India) during this period.
Sachin Tendulkar leads the overall most runs scored with 3630, followed by Ricky Ponting (2555), VVS Laxman (2434), Virat Kohli (2168), and Steve Smith (2166).
In Australia, Ricky Ponting has the most runs with 1893, followed by Sachin Tendulkar (1809), Virat Kohli (1478), VVS Laxman (1236), and Steve Smith (1206).
Nathan Lyon has taken the most wickets overall with 124, followed by Ravichandran Ashwin (115), Anil Kumble (111), Harbhajan Singh (95), and Ravindra Jadeja (89).
In Australia, Nathan Lyon has the most wickets with 63. Jasprit Bumrah has 53, followed by Kapil Dev (51), Pat Cummins (49), Mitch Starc (49), and Anil Kumble (49).
The session timings for the Boxing Day Test are as follows:
The first session is from 5:00 am to 7:00 am IST (10:30 am to 12:30 pm AEDT).
The second session is from 7:40 am to 9:40 am IST (1:10 pm to 3:10 pm AEDT).
The third session is from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm IST (3:30 pm to 5:30 pm AEDT).
An extra 30 minutes can be used if needed to complete the required overs for the day. This ensures a full day’s play.
Here’s a summary of the series schedule so far:
India won the first Test convincingly by 295 runs.
Australia responded strongly in the second Test with a 10-wicket victory.
The third Test ended in a draw, leveling the series.
The fourth Test, the Boxing Day Test, is scheduled for December 26-30 at the MCG in Melbourne.
The fifth and final Test will be played from January 3-7 at the SCG in Sydney, starting at 10:30 am AEDT.
Interesting Stats for the Boxing Day Test
Jasprit Bumrah is close to achieving a significant milestone. He is six wickets away from becoming the 12th Indian bowler to take 200 Test wickets.
Jasprit Bumrah has been the standout performer among Indian pacers in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With 21 wickets at an impressive average of 10.90, he is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series. Bumrah’s remarkable contributions include two five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul in the first three matches.
Bumrah has been consistently effective against Australia, taking at least three wickets in five of his last six innings against them. He also has the best bowling average against Australia among Indian bowlers with at least four innings bowled.
Scott Boland has an impressive record at the MCG. He has taken 117 first-class wickets there since his Sheffield Shield debut in 2011.
Boland’s wicket count at the MCG is 43 more than any other player in the same timeframe. His Test record at the MCG is equally strong, with 10 wickets at an average of 13.8 across four innings.
Steve Smith is nearing another milestone. He needs 191 runs to become the fourth Australian to score 10,000 Test runs.
Smith has a history of high scores in Test matches, having reached 191 runs or more in a Test innings six times. This includes a score of 192 against India at the MCG in December 2014.
Australian bowlers have been effective early in recent Tests at the MCG. They have dismissed 27 batters within the first 20 balls faced in their last three Tests there. This demonstrates their ability to make early breakthroughs.
Indian batters have a strike rate of 59 on the first 20 balls faced of their innings in Tests in 2024, the second highest of any team, only behind England (66).
Virat Kohli has been dismissed for single figures on eight occasions in Tests in 2024.
India vs Australia squad:
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.