The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is now evenly poised at 1-1 victory for both teams. After Australia successfully managed a draw in the third test at Ranchi, the visitors are in full confidence now. The fourth test match at Dharamsala will be definitely a decisive one for both teams. A team winning the fourth test will eventually win the trophy. So, both Kohli and Smith will fight their heart out at Dharamasala test starting this Saturday.
India vs Australia 2017
There were a number of performers who played outstandingly well at the penultimate test in Ranchi, but eventually the pair of Shaun Marsh (53) and Peter Handscomb (72*) prevailed as they changed the result of the match. They kept on frustrating Indian bowlers as Australia comfortably drew the match with 4 wickets in hand.
Australia started off their second innings in third test in an ominous way losing the first four wickets for just 63. But then the turning point of the match came as both Handscomb and Shaun Marsh went into shell hitting occasional boundaries while swallowing as many dot balls as possible. They added 124 runs partnership for the fifth wicket in approximately 60 overs which literally took the match away from the hosts.
Steven Smith has emerged out as the leading run scorer in the series with 371 runs from 3 tests, and Ravindra Jadeja is the leading wicket taker in the series with 21 wickets to his credit. Once again, all attentions have turned towards these two players as the countdown to the final and decisive test has already begun.
Who will win the final test at Dharamsala?
India have an edge over the visitors with home pitch and crowd benefits, but constant drought of runs from Virat Kohli’s bat is making fans more impatient than ever. The way Aussies showed fighting spirit on the final day of the last test, their confidence is on top now.
“If there’s anything called momentum, it’s with us at the moment. India coming today would have expected to bowl us out. I’m sure they’re hurting a little bit in their change room. If there’s anything with momentum in cricket, it’s probably on our side at the minute. Its 1-1 all and we have the decider in Dharamsala, which is really exciting,” flamboyant Aussie skipper Steven Smith immediately said in the post-match conference a couple of days back.
However, India will start afresh at the scenic HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. This time, they will play to win the series. India are just one win away from winning the series and avenge their series loss that they sustained at Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia during 2014-2015 session.
With India’s top order batsmen in good form and some excellent batting from Saha in recent times down the order, hitting 2 tons in his last four tests, definitely India’s batting looks pretty strong.
Not to forget, the trio of Jadeja, Ashwin and Umesh Yadav can be extremely dangerous for any side – Australia need to play cautiously at the third test. This time real skills and performance on the ground will matter and not the mind games – that Australia are indulging in since the inception of this series. David Warner’s bad form will also affect the Aussies.
Probable XI (Both Teams):
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha (Wicket Keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.
Australia: Steven Smith (Captain), David Warner, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Wade (Wicket Keeper), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O’Keefe, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood.
Tags: 4th Test, Australia, Dharamsala, HPCA Stadium, India, Pre Match Analysis, Preview, Steve Smith, Test Match, Virat Kohli
