Predicted Australia Playing XI for the 5th Test Aganist India

Following a crushing defeat by 295 runs in Perth the Australian cricket team has made a strong comeback in the BGT 2024-25 series. It is worth mentioning that the team has already secured 2-1 victory and the last match is to be played, and if it hadn’t rained in Brisbane, the score could have been 3-1 in Australia’s favor.

While Australia has a lead they can't lose, they are keen to win a series against India, something they haven’t done since the 2014/15 season. A win in the fifth test in Sydney would also put them in the ICC WTC 2023-25 final before their two-match series in Sri Lanka. Although their current playing XI is set they may make a few changes for the final test for different reasons.

1. Sam Konstas

The teenager Sam Konstas made his debut for Australia and he could not have had a better start than this, he scored 60 runs off 65 balls in the first session at the MCG. He surprised everyone by attacking Bumrah with audacious scoops and reverse scoops. Konstas got the crowd going even more after taking on some of the world’s best players including Kohli and Siraj with his aggressive batting. He played a great knock which raised the performance of Australia’s top-order batting and this led to Nathan McSweeney being dropped from the team. However, Bumrah got the better of him in the second innings, but there is an exciting test in Sydney ahead.

2. Usman Khawaja

In the fourth test match, Usman Khawaja who had a poor show in the first three tests finally got into form and made his first fifty of the series in Melbourne and contributed 57 valuable runs in the first innings. Konstas’ aggressive start gave Khawaja a platform to find his feet. Khawaja has been very successful at the Sydney ground, he has scored 832 runs in 12 innings with an average of 104 which includes 4 hundreds and 1 fifty. He has scored his highest test match score of 195* at this ground in the year 2023 against South Africa.

3. Marnus Labuschange

Marnus Labuschagne was another Australian batsman who was under a lot of pressure after he struggled with his batting in the beginning of the year, but he has made a good comeback. He was able to make a gritty fifty runs in Adelaide and then cement his form with two vital 57 and 50 runs respectively in Melbourne. Labuschagne has been particularly successful at the SCG where he average 81 in 10 innings including a century and six fifties as a batsman. His best ever test match innings of 215 runs was made against New Zealand in Sydney in the year 2020.

4. Steve Smith

During the BGT 2024-25 series, Steve Smith struggled to find his form, making 19 runs in the first three innings before rebounding with centuries in the second and third matches in Brisbane and Melbourne respectively. Smith has so far made 277 runs in four tests with an average of 39. The SCG has always been Smith’s favorite ground where he has scored an average of 70 runs in 11 tests with 4 hundreds and 7 fifties. He has also made two hundreds and two fifties in the fourth innings against India in Sydney.

5. Travis Head

While Travis Head was hit by Bumrah for a duck in Melbourne, he was a different beast in the previous three tests. He is still the player who has scored the most runs in the IND vs AUS series thus he has scored 443 runs at an average of 58 with 2 hundreds and one fifty. However, at the SCG, he has an average of 27 in four tests.

6. Mitchell Marsh

In this series, Mitchell Marsh has not performed well as he has only able to get 73 runs in 7 innings and has bowled only 33 overs and has not been very effective in the recent tests. Even though there have been calls for him to be dropped from the squad, the Australian coach Andrew McDonald has stood by Marsh after the MCG victory and it is anticipated that Marsh will also be included in the squad for the Sydney Test.

7. Alex Carey (wk)

Carey has been very good with the bat especially down the order, he has made 195 runs at an average of 32 which includes one fifty. Also, he has been impregnable in the wicket keeping department in the whole series.

8. Pat Cummins (C)

Pat Cummins was given the Man of the Match award for his excellent all-round game at the MCG where he made 49 and 41 as a batsman and picked up 3 wickets for 89 runs and 3 for 28, which also helped Australia win on the fifth day. In the last four matches since the Adelaide Test he has taken 20 wickets at an average of 22 runs per wicket and has also scored 149 runs at an average of 21 runs per innings.

9. Jhye Richardson

Mitchell Starc has been quite effective as he has picked up 15 wickets in the series and on the 5 th day at the MCG, he had some issues which could be related to his back. The team manager, Andrew McDonald, said that they will check on him. If Starc is out of form or if he is given a rest for the Sydney Test then he may be replaced by either Jhye Richardson who has played 3 tests or by Sean Abbott who is yet to make his test debut.

10. Nathan Lyon

Nathan Lyon was very vital in Melbourne where he performed both as a batsman and bowler. He got 13 and 41 runs and five wickets in the match. Lyon’s 10th wicket partnership of 61 runs with Scott Boland in Australia’s second innings was a crushing blow to India. He has also done well in Sydney where he has taken 48 wickets in 13 Tests.

11. Scott Boland

Australia is lucky to have a good back up seam bowler in Scott Boland. Due to the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Boland has taken 11 wickets in two Tests with an average of 18. 27.