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India vs Australia 4th Test: How Will the Pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Play?

by UMMADI JAYA

On Thursday December 26, at the renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground the Indian cricket team is getting ready for the fourth Test against Australia. They hope to do well again after they almost didn't win at Gabba. Since the series is currently even at 1-1, everyone's eager to watch both teams put up a great conflict in the next game.

India has played quite good at the MCG during their last three Tests with two wins and a draw. Although Australia enters the match as the team to beat, especially after they changed their situation in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by winning a match in Adelaide and following their initial loss in Perth.

Pitch Report for IND vs AUS 4th Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG):

At the start, batters might find it tough because the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch for the 4th test between India and Australia is expected to bounce more and have extra seam movement. But, after the batters got used to it they could really get a lot of runs on this well-balanced red-ball cricket surface. There's also healthy grass on the pitch, which should help bowlers get more wickets early on with new ball.

At the MCG, when you bat first in test matches the usual score is around 307. Out of 117 games played there, teams that batted first won the game 57 times. Jasprit Bumrah, India's top bowler, is very noticeable at the MCG. In only two test matches, he's taken 15 wickets.

Andrew McDonald the Australian head coach, said the pitch seems almost the same as it has been in the last few years.Even though it's usually a good idea to bowl first the heat might change things now, making the pitch look slightly better. The captains will need to think carefully when they toss the coin.

Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Test Match Statistics:

Statistic Value
Matches Played 117
Matches Won Batting First 57
Matches Won Bowling First 42
Average 1st Innings Score 307
Average 2nd Innings Score 312
Average 3rd Innings Score 252
Average 4th Innings Score 172
Highest Total 624/8 by Australia vs Pakistan
Lowest Total 36/10 by South Africa vs Australia (1932)

IND vs AUS 4th Test Predicted Playing XIs:

India Playing XI - Rohit Sharma (c),KL Rahul,Rishabh Pant (wk),Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli,Yashasvi Jaiswal,Nitish Reddy,Ravindra Jadeja,Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Australia Playing XI - Pat Cummins (c),Alex Carey (wk), Sam Konstas,Nathan Lyon, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith,Usman Khawaja,Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh,Mitchell Starc,Josh Hazlewood.

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