In the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India will square off with Australia on Wednesday, March 1 at the Holkar Stadium in Indore at 9:30 AM IST. The hosts have managed to retain the BG Trophy by winning the first two Tests.
The first two Tests seemed like a cakewalk for the Indian team as the spinners outwit the Aussie batters and a decent batting performance managed to clinch both games in three days, respectively. On the other end, the Indians also need just one victory in the next two games to secure a berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2021-23. Apart from the skipper, Rohit Sharma, the rest of the top-order batters have failed to provide a big knock. In a couple of dire situations in the series, the lower-order batters, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, stepped up and saved the day for the team. India will also field a new vice-captain in the upcoming Test following the removal of KL Rahul from the position. Rohit and Co. will look to continue the dominance going forward in the series and not just win the Test series but also make an official entry into the WTC Final.
On the other end, Australia are facing new obstacles with every passing Test match in the series. Josh Hazlewood and David Warner have been ruled out of the Test series while Pat Cummins has flown back home due to personal reasons. Steve Smith will be heading the Aussie team in the third Test, while the likes of Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green are likely to make it to the playing XI. Being 2-0 down in the series, Australia still have a chance of drawing the series.
Head-to-head:
Australia have the upper hand in the head-to-head competition between the two sides in the longest format as they won 43 fixtures and lost 32 matches out of 104 games.
On the other end, the hosts lead the BG Trophy head-to-head with 24 victories and 19 defeats.
Where-to-watch
TV: Star Sports
OTT: Disney+ Hotstar