Australia vs India 2018-19: Australia's predicted playing XI for the third Test

After losing the opening Test match, Australia bounced back in the second Test in a fantastic manner as they defeated Virat Kohli's men by a huge margin of 146 runs at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc played a huge role in Australia's win.

This was the first time that Australia have won a Test match since Tim Paine took over as the captain. The third Test match will commence from December 26, 2018, at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Tim Paine and co. would love to win their second consecutive match in the series. Here is the predicted playing XI of the Aussies for the third Test match:

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Openers - Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris impressed at Perth

Marcus Harris showed the cricket fans why he was chosen in the senior team by playing a masterclass inning in Perth. He played a patient inning of 70 runs in Australia's first innings which helped Australia post a solid total. Though he failed to score big in the second innings, he ensured that the home side got off to a stable start.

His partner Aaron Finch too silenced his critics by scoring a half-century and coming out to bat in the second innings despite being hurt. The duo of Harris and Finch should open for Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as they are in good form and have already stitched together two good partnerships at the top.

Middle Order - Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head

Usman Khawaja's innings helped Australia set a huge target for India

Usman Khawaja's 72 runs in the second innings proved to be a game changer as Australia were able to set a 250+ target for India in the fourth innings. The left-handed batsman faced 213 balls during his innings before losing his wicket to Mohammad Shami. Although he has not been at his imperious best, his grit will certainly provide Australia with solidity at the top.

Shaun Marsh showed signs of returning to form in the first innings at Perth and given that he had scored a half-century at Adelaide, he seems to be the perfect No.4 batsman for Australia.

Travis Head has been batting well since the start of the series and is amongst the top run scorers in the series. He will again look to be consistent with the bat.

Wicket-Keeper and Captain - Tim Paine

Tim Paine inspired the Aussies to a win in the second Test

Tim Paine was being hailed as one of the softest Australian captains in cricket history but the wicket-keeper batsman proved that it is better to stay calm than being aggressive at Perth. Virat Kohli, his Indian counterpart, tried to aggravate Paine using some aggressive tactics but Tim maintained his concentration and helped Australia win the match.

The Aussie team would have been down on morale after losing the first Test match and Tim Paine, the captain needs to praised for the team's strong showing at Perth. With two 30+ scores at Perth, the Aussie skipper would love to bat for a longer time in the middle to provide the best of his batting skills to his nation.

The pressure would be immense on Paine as it will be the first time that he will be leading his team in a Boxing Day Test match.

All-Rounder - Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh was released from the squad to play the BBL

The vice-captain of the Australian Test squad, Mitchell Marsh had surprisingly been left out of the playing XI in the first two Test matches. He was released from the squad during the second match to play for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL.

Chris Tremain and Peter Siddle too were released to join their respective clubs. However, the squad will soon re-assemble in Melbourne ahead of the third Test and given that Peter Handscomb has failed in the series thus far, he should be replaced by the younger of Marsh brothers.

Spinner - Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon

In a series where the fast bowlers were expected to rule the roost, Nathan Lyon, the off-spinner, has been the highest wicket-taker in the series thus far. He has troubled the Indian batsmen a lot in the first two matches and is expected to play a huge role in MCG as well.

Including Lyon in the playing XI is a no-brainer and he will look to strangle the Indian middle order.

Fast Bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Chris Tremain

Chris Tremain could make his debut at Melbourne

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are currently one of the most lethal duos in Test cricket and dropping any one of the two will seriously affect Australia's chances in the Boxing Day match. While Starc has troubled the Indian batsmen with his fiery pace, Hazlewood's miserly economy rate has tested the opposition's patience.

Also Watch - Australia vs India 2018/19: Who should India pick for the 3rd Test?

However, Pat Cummins has not been amongst the wickets and has been Tim Paine's least used bowler. So, introducing an unknown commodity in Chris Tremain would surely boost Australia's chances of winning the Boxing Day Test match.

Peter Siddle is too there in the Australian squad but given he is very prone to injury, Langer and Paine can include Tremain in the XI.