India vs Australia Gabba Test: With the intention of repeating the history of returning to Gabba after the defeat in Adelaide, when the Indian team plays Australia in the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy starting from Saturday, all eyes will be on the bats of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. After the series is tied at 1-1, the Brisbane Test may prove to be decisive. Indian bowlers would like to take advantage of the weakness of Australia’s batsmen, for whom Travis Head proved to be a troublemaker in the second Test. Both Steve Smith and Kohli are not performing well consistently.
Eyes on Rohit and Kohli
In bowling, India has Jasprit Bumrah who has proved dwarf in front of all the other bowlers in the series. However, they need more support from the other end. Along with this, he also needs good runs from batsmen like Rohit and Kohli so that he can bowl freely. There is constant discussion about the poor form of Rohit and Kohli and this test will be very important for these two greats of modern cricket. In his absence, India returned here in 2021 and registered a spectacular victory.
Kohli scored a century in the Perth Test but the captaincy innings is awaited from Rohit. Rohit has so much experience that he knows very well that great bowlers like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood cannot be beaten on every ball. Hazlewood has returned to the team after being out of the Adelaide Test due to an arm strain.
Expected bounce from the pitch
Australian bowlers have attacked both with bounce and seam and here too the pitch is expected to provide good seam. Rohit and Kohli do not lack talent but their form is not supporting them at the moment.
The biggest problem for India has been the disappointing batting in the first innings. In the last one year, six times in Tests played in India and abroad, the first innings score has been 150 or less. Rohit and Kohli have scored runs at a poor average of 6.88 and 10 in the first innings in the 2024-25 season.
Rohit has been the king of the white ball but if he plays a good innings at Gabba, his name will be included among the great cricketers. For this, first of all they have to decide their batting order. It is for him to see whether he will open the innings or come in at number six, because in such a situation, if the top order plays slowly, then he can play aggressively on the old Kookaburra.
Australian batsman would like to save from Bumrah
Off-spinners R Ashwin and Washington Sundar performed well in the first two Tests but Ravindra Jadeja is a better option for depth in batting. Akash Deep has variety in fast bowling but captain Rohit likes the courage of Harshit Rana. Talking about Australia, their batting is also a cause for concern. Head’s condition these days has become like that of Rishabh Pant. Steve Smith’s poor form is a cause for concern. Marnus Labuschagne scored a half-century in Adelaide but he is not looking in his old form. Australian batsmen would like to play Bumrah’s first spell with caution because they know that if they are successful in it, they will not face much threat from the other Indian bowlers.
Such is India’s record in Gaba
India has played seven Test matches since playing its first match at Gabba in 1947. The visiting team has won one, drawn one and lost five. This match was drawn in 2003 when Sourav Ganguly played a brilliant inning of 144 runs in India’s first innings, while the entire day of the Test match was washed out due to rain. However, last time India was successful in defeating Australia in its own home at Gabba. Australia had to face defeat at home after 33 years.
India’s playing eleven could be like this
KL Rahul, who came to open in Adelaide, had failed in both the innings, while Rohit Sharma, who came to bat at number-6, had a flop. In such a situation, KL Rahul can be seen in the middle order and Rohit Sharma can be seen opening. Whereas Washington Sundar can also be given a chance.
India’s probable playing eleven: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), KL Rahul, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
