Australia has announced its playing XI for the much-awaited Boxing Day Test against India. Travis Head declared fit to play despite concerns over a quad strain sustained during the Gabba Test. The declaration of Head’s fitness is a huge relief to the Australian team, as his absence would have been a huge blow.
Head has been in fantastic form in this series, already scoring two hundreds and a must for the batting lineup of Australia.
Travis Head Returns To Haunt India
Australia’s vice-captain Travis Head was in a bit of doubt for Boxing Day Test with a quad injury he sustained during the Gabba Test. The injury has healed, though, and Head has got clearance to play the all-important Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Head’s inclusion will prove to be a massive morale booster to the Australian side as he is the one who has delivered big time for the hosts throughout the series.
During the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, Head played a sensational knock of 140 runs from just 141 balls as Australia cruised to a comprehensive 10-wicket win. His consistency further strengthened his importance in the Australian team as he continued his unbeaten form with a century in Brisbane. The Australian captain, Pat Cummins, also revealed that Head was fully fit ahead of the match.
JUST IN: Australia’s XI for the Boxing Day blockbuster is locked in | @LouisDBCameron #AUSvIND https://t.co/uILWQn8JJl
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“Trav’s good to go, he will play. He just kicked off some final things today and yesterday. But no worries about injury with Trav. He’ll go into the game fully fit. I don’t think you’ll see too much management of him throughout the game. He just kind of plays as is,” said Cummins. He added, that though the Australian captain does consider slight management of Head’s fielding if needed, there were no concerns about his fitness overall.
Sam Konstas To Make His Debut
Australia has announced opening batsman Sam Konstas to make his debut at the Boxing Day Test in place of Nathan McWeeney. Konstas, a 25-year-old batsman who opens the innings, has earned a spot replacing Nathan McWeeney, who could not leave any impact in the first two Tests. Konstas brings new blood to the Australian team and will definitely look to create an impression on the world stage at this very crucial moment for him.
Konstas’ selection heralds a reshuffling in the Australian lineup, as selectors clearly hope for an improvement at the top order. His debut will bring depth and a new dimension to the middle of an important series.
Scott Boland To Replace Josh Hazlewood
Another significant change Australia have drafted Scott Boland into the final XI replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood, who has ruled himself out of the remaining matches owing to a calf strain and will be seriously missed for Australia. The right-arm pacer Boland is actually a good replacement. Being in excellent form, he has been even better during the Pink-ball Test at the Gabba as he took five crucial wickets.
Boland was crucial in dismissing key Indian batsmen, including Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Siraj. His aggressive bowling style and ability to take key wickets will be vital as Australia looks to maintain pressure on India in the high-stakes Boxing Day Test.
India’s Likely Lineup
India is set to remain the same side which they played in Gabba, and no strong change in the playing eleven is likely to be affected. Yet, the change which they have witnessed is by one: R. Ashwin, the experienced spinner of Indian team, announced his retirement post the Test. Ashwin already reached back to India; hence his place has come from a promising young candidate Tanush Kotian in the Indian side, who is trying to make big for the important Test Series.
The MCG Boxing Day Test
The game here is going to be important for both the teams because the series is currently squared at 1-1. It will be turning point of the match as one win here would give crucial advantage to the team as they will go into the last matches with a crucial advantage.
For India, a win will make them the first team since 1885 to win three consecutive Tests at the iconic MCG. This will be a historic feat, and India will want to take full advantage of the opportunity. Australia, on the other hand, will look to regain momentum and with their full-strength team, will be very hard to beat.
Australia’s Playing XI for the Boxing Day Test: Pat Cummins (Captain), Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
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