India vs Australia, 3rd Test: Toss result and playing 11s, umpires list and pitch report

Having claimed a 2-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 against Australia, India will now look to seal their berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. A triumph in the third Test to be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, starting Wednesday, March 1, will confirm India’s place in the summit clash of the WTC.

The hosts have thoroughly dominated the Test series, winning both matches inside three days. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been fantastic on comeback from injury, particularly with the ball. He is the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets.

It’s been business as usual for Ravichandran Ashwin, who has grabbed 14 scalps. India’s batting, though, is a concern. The lower-order has bailed them out in the first two Tests.

Australia will be led by Steve Smith in regular skipper Pat Cummins’ absence. Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the series, while David Warner too has returned home. The build-up to the Indore Test hasn’t been great for the visitors, with many former cricketers lashing out at the team.

Can they find a way to turn the tide?

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IND vs AUS 3rd Test toss result

Team India have won the toss and have opted to bat first. Speaking about the decision, Rohit Sharma said:

“We have played a lot of cricket here but this one (pitch) is slightly different. Looks little dry and you have to adapt your skills and be at it all the time.”

India have made two changes to their playing XI. Shubman Gill is in for KL Rahul, while Mohammed Shami has been rested and Umesh Yadav has taken his place.

For Australia, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green have replaced Pat Cummins and David Warner.

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IND vs AUS 3rd Test - Match playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat (w), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (w), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann.

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IND vs AUS 3rd Test pitch report

According to Matthew Hayden, the wicket in Indore looks remarkably similar to the first two Test matches. There is going to be a lot of spin. The Aussie reckons the pitch is a very overcooked one and one of those dry surfaces. It’s starting to crumble with zero impact on it so far.

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IND vs AUS 3rd Test match players list

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Srikar Bharat (wk), KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav.

Australia squad: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Cameron Green, Scott Boland, Lance Morris.

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IND vs AUS - 3rd Test match umpires

On-field umpires: Joel Wilson, Nitin Menon.

TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough.

Match Referee: Chris Broad.