The Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, will host the final Test of a five-match Test series between Australia and India at 05:30 AM BST on January 03, 2025.
India, after taking a 1-0 lead in the series with a win in the first Test at Perth, lost two of the following three Tests against Australia. They now trail 1-2 in the series, making this Test crucial to level the series and keep their WTC Final hopes alive.
Australia, meanwhile, is brimming with confidence and eager to secure its spot in the WTC Final with a win in this test. A thrilling contest awaits at the SCG to kick off the new year.
Australia can never be written off, can they? After a heavy defeat in Perth to start the series, they seemed down and out. Struggles with their batting lineup in 2024 cost them the first Test, but they turned the series around in the next three matches to lead 2-1 ahead of the decisive 5th Test at the SCG.
In the second Test at Adelaide, Australia dominated the day-night encounter, winning by 10 wickets after bundling India out for under 200 runs in both innings. Travis Head regained form with a stunning 140, earning the Player of the Match award, while Mitchell Starc’s fiery spell of 6 for 40 in the first innings proved decisive. The third Test at Brisbane ended in a rain-affected draw, with India’s chase of 275 cut short. Smith and Head both struck centuries in Adelaide, keeping Australia’s batting lineup buoyant.
Australia’s tenacity was demonstrated during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Needing seven wickets in the final session to secure victory, they went wicketless in the second session, leaving many expecting a draw. However, their trademark never-say-die attitude, combined with India’s batting collapse, handed the hosts a memorable win. Steve Smith added another century to his tally in the series.
After a tough year in Tests, AUS’s batting lineup is finding form at just the right time, while their bowlers remain as potent as ever. Pat Cummins has been the standout performer, claiming 20 wickets across four Tests at an impressive average of 22.65. It will be a challenging task for India to stop this formidable Australian team in the final Test at the SCG.
Australia Squads
Mitchell Starc, Travis Head, Sam Konstas, Scott Boland, Steven Smith, Nathan Lyon, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Pat Cummins, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Marsh, Sean Abbott, and Beau Webster.
India had a golden opportunity to dominate Australia for the third consecutive time after their emphatic win in the first Test at Perth. Coming off a 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, India needed a series victory against Australia to secure a spot in the WTC Final. Now, trailing 2-1, their only hope lies in winning the final Test in Sydney and counting on Sri Lanka to beat Australia in their upcoming series.
Jasprit Bumrah has been outstanding, not just in this series but throughout 2024. With 30 wickets in the first four Tests at an incredible average of 12.83, Bumrah has set new benchmarks in cricket history. No player has ever taken more wickets in a calendar year
at a better average. Remarkably, he also became the only bowler in Test history to surpass 200 wickets with an average below 20, a truly phenomenal achievement.
IND must be questioning how they managed to lose two Tests despite Bumrah’s brilliance. The answer lies in their faltering batting lineup, particularly the underwhelming performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While Kohli did notch up a century in Perth, his other innings have lacked impact. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, continues to struggle for runs, fueling speculation from critics about his potential retirement.
India Squads
Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harshit Rana, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Akash Deep, and Sarfaraz Khan.
AUS vs IND: Match Details | ||
Match | Australia vs India, 5th Test | India tour of Australia, 2024-25 | |
Date | 03/01/2025 (Friday) | |
Time | 04:30 (GMT+5) / 5:00 (GMT+5.5) / 05:30 (GMT+6) | |
Format | Test | |
Venue | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | |
Recent performance | Australia – W L W D W | India – L W L D L |
Live Streaming Details | Click here to watch the Live Streaming Score on JeetBuzz News | |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
At Sydney, 89 Test matches have concluded with an outright victory. First-batting teams have won 47 games, while second-batting teams have won 42. Here, the team that wins the toss should bat first.
Cloudy conditions with a slight probability of showers and thunderstorms are predicted for the Sydney Cricket Ground match day. These circumstances may cause the game to start later than planned, and there may be disruptions later in the day. The daytime temperature would be between 25°C and 19°C.
At the SCG, the conditions appear to be quite uniform.
In the last five matches, AUS won three of them and IND won one.
Event | Australia | India |
Toss Winner | Australia | – |
Player of the Match | – | |
Top Run Scorer | Steven Smith | Nitish Kumar Reddy |
Top Wicket Taker | Pat Cummins | Jasprit Bumrah |
Most Sixes | Steven Smith | Nitish Kumar Reddy |
Predicted Score | 360+ | 350+ |
Win Probability | 66% | 34% |
Cricket analysts predict Australia has a 66% chance of winning.
Disclaimer: This cricket prediction is based on the author’s insights and analysis. Readers should consider the points discussed and draw their own conclusions.
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