NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field against Australia in the third Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday. With the series locked at 1-1, the match marks a critical juncture as both teams aim to gain the upper hand.
India made two significant changes to their playing XI, with Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja replacing Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin. For Australia, Josh Hazlewood returned after recovering from a side injury, replacing Scott Boland.
Scorecard: India vs Australia, 3rd Test
Explaining the rationale behind his decisions, Rohit cited the conditions at the Gabba as a key factor.
“We’re going to bowl first. A little bit overcast and a little bit of grass, looks a bit soft as well, we want to make the best use of the conditions,” he said at the toss. “Lots of cricket to be played, both teams have played good cricket in the last two games. Big game for us here, we’ll do what is expected of us.”
He also highlighted the significance of making strategic changes to the lineup. “We’ve made two changes, Jadeja and Akash back in place of Ashwin and Harshit,” he added.
Australia captain Pat Cummins acknowledged the conditions but emphasized his team’s readiness. “We would’ve bowled first too. Been a fantastic series so far. Really happy with last week, just about everyone got into the series. Just one change, Scott Boland is out for Hazlewood,” Cummins said.
The match promises high stakes as India seeks to recover from their loss in the second Test, while Australia hopes to ride the momentum with Hazlewood’s inclusion bolstering their attack.
Playing XIs for the Gabba Test
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (w), Rohit Sharma (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (w), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
