NEW DELHI: India captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss and opted to bat against Australia in overcast conditions and a grassy pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
India made two changes in their playing XI from the last Test with Shubman Gill replacing Rohit Sharma and Prasidh Krishna coming in for Akash Deep.
After winning the toss, Bumrah said, "We are looking to bat first. We have played some good cricket. The last match was exciting. The grass doesn't look spicy. We always have learnt to digest defeats. We will look forward to this. Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have. We have two changes. Rohit has opted out and Prasidh comes in for the injured Akashdeep."
After losing the toss, Australia captain Pat Cummins said, "We were looking to bat as well. But it is overcast and hopefully we will swing the ball early. Sell out in the first few days. Just kept replaying in our heads the last session. Feels like every summer gets bigger and bigger here in Australia. This week is always special. Just one change. Beau Webster is debuting in place of Mitchell Marsh."
With Australia holding a 2-1 series lead, India now need to win the Sydney Test to draw level and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
From 1947-2021, India have played 13 Tests in Sydney, winning only 1, while losing 5 and drawing 7 games.
Teams:
India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah(c), Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Australia XI: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
