Mohammed Shami out injured after Adelaide. Umesh Yadav out after a calf injury in Melbourne. Hanuma Vihari, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja all missing the Brisbane Test due to hamstring, abdominal strain and thumb dislocation. There is a big fitness cloud over Ravichandran Ashwin who is nursing a sore back and also on Mayank Agarwal, who was hit on the arm during practice in Sydney. Before the series, India had already lost the services of Ishant Sharma. It is a stroke of luck that India is traveling with a big contingent, which has been necessitated due to the coronavirus travel concerns. The memes are not without fact. If there is one more injury, then the Indian cricket team might have to call upon Ravi Shastri, Vikram Rathour or Bharat Arun for either bowling, batting or fielding.
Yet, this Indian cricket team is much more determined and resilient than past Indian teams and that is purely due to the calmness of Ajinkya Rahane. The mantra that Ajinkya Rahane follows is whatever happened in the previous match is over. The next match is a fresh start. It is his backing that India managed to withstand an uneven pitch and a desperate Australia side in Sydney. However, they now head to the Gabba in Brisbane. The build-up and history have not been ideal for India. Before the start of the Brisbane Test, their hotel lacked basic facilities and the BCCI took up the matter with Cricket Australia. Even before this, the comments made by the shadow health minister and sports minister in Queensland that 'if India cannot play by the rules, they are not welcome' were far from ideal.
At the other end is the intimidating history of the Gabba. For 32 years, nations have tried to beat Australia at this venue and have failed spectacularly. In 2001, New Zealand came close to winning but they were only denied by lack of time. Since then, Australia has been supreme at this venue. If one has to look at the contest on paper, with India missing so many stars, it should be easy for a relatively full-strength Australia to roll India over. However, Tim Paine's side is clearly rattled after the determination shown by India in Sydney. With so many off-field incidents souring the tour, Australia knows that despite a weak Indian team, they are actually the most vulnerable one.
India and Australia Playing 11
For Australia, Will Pucovski has been ruled out of the Test after suffering a shoulder injury and Marcus Harris has been selected back in the side. The rest of the line-up remains the same. What about the Indian team? With so many star players ruled out, they are fielding a virtual B or C team for the Gabba Test. Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan are in line for a debut while Mohammed Siraj will open the new ball with Thakur. If Ravichandran Ashwin is not passed fit, then India will have to get in Kuldeep Yadav back in the side. There is a school of thought that India should play both Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha, with Pant playing purely as a batsman. When it comes to batting, the top four have a big task on their hands if they have to keep India afloat.
Australia playing 11: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India probable playing 11: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin/Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj
Match details
Match: India vs Australia, 4th Test
Venue: The Gabba, Brisbane
Time: 5:30 AM IST
Statistics
Australia have not lost a Test in Brisbane for 32 years. Their last loss came against the West Indies in 1988.
