Preview: 3rd Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

With the series currently tied at 1-1, the BGT 2025 is now exquisitely poised for the upcoming matches. It started with Australia being the favorites, then swung in India's favor after their victory in the first test, and has now shifted back to Australia, who carry the momentum to the iconic Gabba in Brisbane for the third test. Such is the beauty of Test cricket between these two nations; even if one team takes the lead in Brisbane, the other will still have a chance to script a comeback.

As the focus shifts to the Gabba, Australia will look to build on the learnings and meticulous planning they undertook during the 10-day break before the second test and how it panned out in the game. One of the clear observations they had in their preparation was that on surfaces where the ball loses its pace after pitching, India's batters struggle to find their rhythm. Additionally, on such pitches, Bumrah also becomes less threatening to play against as their batters will have an extra fraction of a second to adjust and react.

For the Gabba, however, Australia opted for the other, more condition-specific, route-seam, swing, and bounce India out in the first innings, then put the onus back on Jasprit Bumrah to replicate his first test heroics. With their batters gradually finding their groove and displaying positive intent, this might not be a bad ploy.

The Gabba pitch, as the reports suggest, will offer vigorous pace and bounce owing to it being a fresh, pre-Christmas surface. Matches played here later in the summer, particularly post-Christmas, tend to lose some of that zip due to wear and tear from domestic games. This early-summer factor could prove pivotal when India takes the field on the 14th of December. Australia, too, prefers playing at the Gabba early in the season. Since 1931, they have played only five post-Christmas Tests here, losing three of them—two of which came in their last two matches, against India and the West Indies.

While the pitch and momentum are in Australia's favor, they are not without concerns. Despite the positive intent in the second test, their batting remains a key issue. Between Khawaja, Labushagne, Smith, Mitchell Marsh, and Nathan McSweeney, Australia have not witnessed a single century across the last 85+ batters' innings, and have only a mere 12 half-centuries in this period. That's a serious issue, especially as these players occupy five of their top six positions in the batting order.

If Australia ends up batting in tough conditions, their strategy to play on a green, lively top at the Gabba could well backfire.

Conversely, India have their own set of concerns as they head into the third Test. In spite of their dominant first-test performance, their batting has been inconsistent, with several key players yet to hit form. In fact, across the last 56 batters' first-inning scores, India's entire batting unit has managed only one century - R. Ashwin against Bangladesh. This is a worrying stat, especially considering the experience within the team. Rohit and Kohli in particular, have looked increasingly vulnerable with each passing game as they seem to be carrying a retirement bug. There is a growing sense, largely within their minds, that their time has passed, and this mental shift might well be affecting their drive at the crease.

Shubhman Gill, who replaced Pujara on this team, has yet to translate his promise to performance consistently in tests. Off-late, he has managed some pleasant starts but has not converted them into good scores, leaving India reliant on their lower middle order to take them to respectable scores.

In bowling, India are desperately waiting for other bowlers to step up in support of Bumrah. While both Siraj and Harshit Rana have looked good in parts, they haven't made Australia worry much. As a result, India might be considering trading off Rana's intent with Akash Deep's consistency in line and length. Prasidh Krishna too, could be an interesting selection given his height factor.

The question also looms around India's choice of spinner. Should they continue with Ashwin or opt for a reliable left-handed batter down the order in Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja? Each of the three offers packages that are tough to overlook. It’s a dilemma reminiscent of Australia’s decision to bench Scott Boland to accommodate Mitchell Marsh in their lineup.

The match could ultimately come down to which team bats better in the first innings. Based on recent trends, the first day is expected to pose significant challenges to batters followed by relatively easier second and third days. With both teams struggling in batting, if the team batting first manages to score over 250, it could prove to be decisive.

Teams

India's Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubhman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma (c), Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana

Australia's Playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(wk), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Players to watch out for:

Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Steven Smith.

Squads

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Beau Webster, Josh Inglis, Brendan Doggett, Sean Abbott

When and Where to Watch?

The third test will start at 05:50 am IST and can be watched live on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.

Like our content? Write to us with your reviews and feedback at purpl.pitch@gmail.com. You can also reach us on Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter). For link, visit Contact.