India need to win if they are to keep the trophy and a chance at making the WTC Final. Their batting has a big let down and their bowling, with heavy reliance on Bumrah is feeling it with one Test to go. Akash Deep is out for the Test with an injury indicating the levels of fatigue on the bowlers. For Australia too, Mitchell Marsh has been left out due to a lack of runs and wickets but they remain the happier side especially with Steve Smith coming back in form with back to back hundreds.

AUS vs IND Match Details

Date: January 3rd, 2025

Time:  5:00 AM IST

Venue: The Sydney Cricket Ground

AUS vs IND Weather Report

The weather looks promising with a few occasional showers.

AUS vs IND Pitch Report

Sydney generally tends to be a touch more dusty with the ball likely to spin later on. Batting first is a better option. Draws though have been the favoured result here in the last couple seasons.

AUS vs IND Head to Head

Stats	Matches	AUS Won	IND Won	Draw	Tie
Overall	111	47	33	30	1
At Brisbane	14	8	4	2	0
Last Five Tests	13	5	1	7	0

AUS vs IND Predicted Playing XI

AUS Playing XI

Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

IND Playing XI

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy/ Washington Sundar, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna/ Harshith Rana, Jasprit Bumrah

AUS vs IND Key Players

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli ended his century drought in Perth but is still struggling for runs. His poke outside off has been costing him. He comes to Melbourne though, a ground at which he has some good numbers and has found a lot of success.

Usman Khawaja

Khawaja has been through a very lean period this year. He has been out of runs and with next years Ashes on his radar he has some work to do to keep his spot.

AUS vs IND Match Tips

Given India's batting form, Australia continue to stay favorites.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win The Match