major events
8th over: India 16-1 (Jaiswal 10, Gill 2) Change in opening bowling! Scott Boland has the eighth over and as soon as he reaches Gill he gets a hero ovation from the people. He is a breakthrough specialist in the first over so what can he do here. He is entering this Test at SCG with seven wickets at an average of 9. Well organized statistics! And immediately he makes something happen. A rearing delivery, a crowded catch to Travis Head, one shy of the stumps and a misfield. What a dervish of action!
7th over: India 16-1 (Jaiswal 10, Gill 2) Tickets were sold out in the first three days of this SCG Test and a huge crowd turned up this morning. He saw Stark bowing towards Jaiswal’s feet. The first two are too straight to be whipped, but the third is partly wide of the leg side and allows one run. “Resting” Former India skipper Rohit Sharma looks forlornly at Virat Kohlu, who is possibly playing his final Test in Australia, from the luxurious SCG visitors’ dressing room. Gill stole a single in the last.
6th over: India 14-1 (Jaiswal 9, Gill 1) The new batsman is Shubman Gill. He was somewhat controversially ruled out of the fourth Test, but has been included in place of the “resting” Rohit Sharma. His average in India is 42 but abroad is only 28. There is no doubt about his talent, but he has averaged only 35 in 32 Tests so far. He cleverly leaves his mark here. In the end, Jaiswal got another run from Boland’s misfield and the strike remained intact.
Wicket! Rahul Constas b Starc 4 (India 11-1)
Stark strikes! And it’s a big wicket from Rahul, who slices his toes and lofts it straight to Sam Konstas at square leg. One bad shot, one easy catch and Australia’s first blood! The crowd begins to roar as Konsta arrives early in the game.
5th over: India 11-0 (Jaswal 7, Rahul 4) Starke’s speed is up to 140 km per hour. Given that he has played all five Tests and suffered a rib injury in Melbourne, Starc will want to take it easy on himself for five days. Australia have Scott Boland as the first change followed by Beau Webster, who has the ability to bowl medium pace and off spin. He beats Rahul with a lifting delivery and then goes inside the tally-ho of the bat. Tension is increasing at SCG.
Fourth over: India 11-0 (Jaiswal 7, Rahul 4) Cummins took a fresh look at Rahul. This green pitch still looks a little soft but if we get a forecast of high heat for two and three days then that hard core will soon reveal itself. Rahul takes a single off his hip for a single. After this, Jaiswal was defeated by Cummins for the fourth time. A hint of swing at the end, when Jaiswal extended his hand to a ball which turned back to pass over the stumps. A dangerous one, quit if successful.
Third over: India 10-0 (Jaiswal 7, Rahul 3) Jaiswal takes one run from Starc. Big Mitch is slowly adjusting his radar. Rahul sees some people flying from the shore. Still no noticeable swing from Starc as he slides it from right to left across the right-handed batsman. Rahul Wider bent well on the final ball and got inside the rope for three runs.
Second over: India 6-0 (Jaiswal 6, Rahul 0) Pat Cummins To KL Rahul. Captain Pat’s first ball went up but Jaiswal’s soft hands and high elbow kept it down. This SCG pitch looks greener than usual and there is a lot of grass growing on its surface. Here’s a live one as Jaiswal is defeated from third. The fourth ball is a cross seam pitch which slides across the bat and goes into the seam after passing the batsman. Another brilliant lifter sent Jaiswal into the air. Finally, Cummins loses his line and Rahul hits it off the pads to get off the mark.
1st over: India 5-0 (Jaiswal 5, Rahul 0) Starc attacked Jaiswal, who batted strongly in the first two overs. Beau Webster has set up camp at third slip and with his 200cm frame and huge wingspan he will be an asset in that area. Jaiswal collected his first possession of the day in an attempt to bowl a yorker across the boundary on the leg stump line. No swing yet for Starc, but a good lift at the fifth gives Jaiswal hope. He presses it into the turf and runs a single. This young player has a good game, having averaged 55+ in his 19 Test matches.
The Australian team’s maze is broken, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are coming in the middle and the ball is with Mitchell Starc. The first test of 2025 is about to start.
Knock ’em down and belt ’em, guys… here we go.
The DJ is playing and Gadigal elder Alan Madden is welcomed to the country. “For my first song…” he starts laughing around the arena.
The huge Sydney crowd, which had reached their seats early, gave a thunderous applause for Allen and stood in reverence as Shanul Sharma renditioned the beautiful national anthem of India. Time for Australia to react…
Under overcast but rain-free skies, huge queues are snaking into the SCG. Plenty will be disappointed not to be seeing hometown sensation Sam Konstas bat but watching local heroes Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc open the bowling isn’t a bad second prize.
Cummins sees potential in the elements: “Overcast conditions so hopefully we can get the ball to swing around a bit. All the boys have pulled up well after a short turnaround.”
Players are about to set foot on the hallowed Sydney turf for the pre-match ceremonies. India legend Ravi Shastri and former Australia captain Mark Taylor are bringing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the podium.
Here are the starting XIs
Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Sam Konstas, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland
India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna
As expected for India, KL Rahul has been elevated to opener to replace Rohit Sharma. Shubman Gill returns to the side after missing the side in Melbourne and Prasidh Krishna, the 28-year-old quick from Bangalore, will play his third Test.
India have won the toss and will bat at the Sydney Cricket Ground
That’s the decision of India captain Jasprit Bumrah. That’s right, folks – captain Rohit Sharma is OUT. Whether that omission was his decision or the BCCI’s, we’ll find out.
Jasprit Bumrah is saying Sharma has “opted to rest”. He is relishing the chance to bat first on a pitch that doesn’t look “too spicy”…
We’ve played some really good cricket in this series. The last match was pretty exciting. Hopefully we can put up a good show. There seems to be some grass. It doesn’t look to have too many demons or look too spicy. Obviously there will be a challenge with the new ball but if you get though it’s always a good batting track. Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game. That shows there’s a lot of unity in this team. There’s no selfishness. Whatever is in the teams best interest we are looking to do that. Two changes, Rohit has opted to rest and Akash Deep is injured so Prasidh comes in.
Pat Cummins has admitted he too would’ve batted first. However the SCG pitch is a tad greener than usual so he’s excited to unleash his attack and see if they can sow havoc. Cummins says the squad have had a very easy few days, resting and recharging.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma will not play in the New Year’s Test, as both teams confirm their sides.
India has won the toss and will bat first. #AUSvIND
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 2, 2025
Last week debutant Sam Konstas lit up the cricket world. The new face in Australia’s XI today is Beau Webster, a 31-year-old allrounder from the town of Snug, Tasmania.
Webster was presented with Baggy Green #469 this morning by the great Mark Waugh and his ascension has been widely praised. Webster has averaged 57.1 with the bat at first-class level since March 2022 and taken 81 wickets at 31.7 in the same period.
Last summer, he scored 938 runs at 58.62 in Sheffield Shield, including three centuries, while also bagging 30 wickets to help Tasmania reach the final. Only one cricketer has bettered those numbers in a Shield campaign – some bloke called Sir Garfield Sobers 😉
This is the Pink Test, a proud tradition since 2009 in which Cricket Australia and the SCG Trust combine with the McGrath Foundation to raise awareness and much needed funds for breast cancer.
Jane McGrath, wife of Australia Test legend Glenn, was a beloved figure. Jane passed away from the disease in 2008 but her legacy is mighty and this week we honour it. The McGrath Foundation has supported more than 150,000 families across Australia and in 2024, it supported 15,720 new families. So farIf you’d like to support the cause please donate. You can buy a Virtual Pink Seat here for the five days of the Test.
Australia’s players have their pink caps on and will present them to Glenn McGrath shortly whereupon they’ll be auctioned off. The cause is close to their hearts and clearly inspires their efforts on the field. Of the 17 Pink Tests, Australia has won nine, drawn seven (including the one India made in the 2020/21 tour) and lost just once.
There has been major intrigue in the India camp all week with conjecture of a team divided and captain Rohit Sharma about to a) “rest” himself for the Test, b) fall on his sword and resign and/ or retire, c) be axed by selectors for the fifth Test, or d) be retained at the behest of higher powers at the BCCI.
Amidst all the action and emotion it’s easy to forget that Sharma missed the first Test in Perth, where Jasprit Bumrah led India to a magnificent win and a 1-0 series lead. Since the 37-year-old Sharma’s arrival, India have looked unbalanced and the once imperious strokeplay of the skipper has been MIA, with scores of 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9.
The plot thickened yesterday when Sharma didn’t show up to the official press conference and India coach Gautam Gambhir did the duties. Gambhir was spotted in long discussions with Bumrah later that day as rumours heated up that Sharma was out. Nor did Sharma field in slips at India’s training session on the SCG yesterday.
Given it’s the first Test of a new year, the Australia and India squads were hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Kirribilli House on the first day of 2025.
The weather? It isn’t raining in Sydney although a heavy dew fell overnight and skies are currently grey. There is a slight chance (20%, I’m told) of an early shower but the latest news from the Bureau is that Day One will likely be uninterrupted: a 26C day with light winds of 15-20kph. For the first three days at least, the forecast is all clear.
Given Sydney’s fickle meteorology – 26 days have been washed out at SCG Tests compared with nine for MCG Tests – that’s a great result. Days four and five look dicier, with a typically tempestuous mix of high heat, rain bombs and lightning. But hey, let’s live for the day and worry about that if/ when it happens.
Australia and India have been battling it out on the cricket field since 1947 when Don Bradman (715 runs at 178.75) and Ray Lindwall (18 wickets at 16.88) led Australia to a 4-0 victory.
Over 111 Tests, Australia have won 47, India 33 with 30 draws and one tie. India’s series victories in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 shifted the balance of power but Australia’s famous victory at the MCG may signal a new era of dominance.
Regardless of how the next five days play out, both proud nations can set aside their rivalry and declare the cliche as rolled gold truth: Test cricket has been the big winner.
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
G’day cricket fans and welcome to the Sydney Cricket Ground for the Guardian’s over-by-over coverage of the fifth Test between Australia and India. Angus Fontaine here with you for the opening salvos before James Wallace steers you home.
After their thrilling victory in Melbourne – a Test witnessed by the largest cricket crowd in Australian history – Pat Cummins’ men lead the series 2-1 and now need only a draw to get their hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15. For India, only an SCG victory can secure the Trophy for a fifth consecutive time.
This 2024-25 series was billed as cricket’s heavyweight title fight and that hype has borne out. Both sides have thrown incredible punches, looking for the knockout blow. India won the opening round, with a commanding 295-run win in Perth. Australia hit back in Adelaide, triumphing by 10 wickets. The third Test at a rainy Gabba was drawn before Australia broke the deadlock in that fourth Test thriller at the MCG.
All four Tests have delivered extraordinary cricket, feats of individual brilliance and moments of high drama. Sydney should be no different. Both squads enter with new-look lineups. Australia has dropped the misfiring Mitchell Marsh and Tasmanian allrounder Beau Webster will make his Test debut. And sensationally, India will reportedly enter this final Test without their captain Rohit Sharma!
Play is scheduled to start at 10.30am AEST and we’ll have final teams and the coin toss shortly. Brew yourselves a cuppa and get some fuel on board. Today is gonna be BIG.