Australia vs India 2018-19, 4th Test: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips - Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Team India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a historic win and now the real challenge awaits in Sydney where they need at least a draw to win the Test series in Australia for the first time. Ahead of the final game of the four-match series, the visitors have a couple of selection headaches to sort out. They won’t have the services of Rohit Sharma for this game who has left for India to see his newborn child.

The visitors are expected to rope an extra spinner as the surface here is expected to be similar to that of an Asian pitch. India will have to choose between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin, whose fitness is yet to be defined. KL Rahul could return to the playing XI if the management decides to go with only four bowlers. India has not named their spearhead Ishant Sharma in the 13-man squad who is not 100% fit and have Umesh Yadav instead. For the hosts, Marnus Labuschagne is added to their squad to make it a 14-man squad.

Match Details:

The 4th and the last match of the Test series between Australia and India will be hosted by the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The match starts on 3rd January 2019 at 10:30 AM local time (11:30 AM GMT – Previous Day) (5:00 AM IST). The game will be live on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India. (Live streaming in Sony Liv)

Last five Test matches:

Australia: L, W, L, L, D.

India: W, L, W, W, W.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground is expected to suit the spinners and India could enjoy the familiar conditions. The last three first-class matches here ended in a draw with rain also playing a part. India might not be disappointed to see rain as even a draw will help their goal of winning the series.

Squads:

Australia:

Tim Paine (C & WK), Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Siddle, Marnus Labuschagne.

India:

Virat Kohli (C), Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

Injury and Availability Updates after the announcement of the squads:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Power Picks:

Despite an ordinary show in the Perth Test, India has named Umesh Yadav in the 13-man squad ahead of Ishant. The main reason has been his success at home over the last two years and the SCG is one such track. The speedster claimed 40 wickets across the ten Test matches he played at home since the start of 2017 at an average of 22.62 and needed 42.2 balls per wicket. He even claimed his maiden ten-wicket match haul.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara are expected to make big hundreds, especially because it is a familiar track. They stand as the prime options as multipliers for this game. Pat Cummins’ adaptability on any sort of track will make him an ideal option as vice-captain. The likes of Nathan Lyon, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja also can be considered after getting a better idea of the pitch.

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Rishabh Pant

Batsmen – Virat Kohli (C), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (VC), Marcus Harris

All-Rounders – Travis Head, Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers – Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Tim Paine

Batsmen – Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal (C), Cheteshwar Pujara, Usman Khawaja, KL Rahul (VC)

All-Rounders – Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers – Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon

Expert Advice:

Ajinkya Rahane’s recent home record was the reason why he failed to feature in the starting XI during the South Africa tour. He has been struggling to find his feet on subcontinental tracks and SCG is pretty similar. Excluding him for Mayank and even Vihari won’t be a bad option at all.

Probable Winners:

Team India is expected to win the series with a win at the SCG unless the pitch is too flat and weather gods interrupt to end the game in a draw.

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