Welcome to news.com.au’s protection of the fourth and ultimate Test between Australia and India.
India retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy after the primary two Tests however the Aussies restored some pleasure by successful the Third Test and will likely be aiming to stage the sequence 2-2.
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The match is being performed at Ahmedabad’s huge Narendra Modi Stadium, which is internet hosting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the opening day.
Fill-in Aussie captain Steve Smith gained the toss and elected to bat first earlier than confirming Australia has chosen an unchanged crew.
Openers Travis Head and Usman Khawaja acquired Australia off to a superb begin earlier than Travis Head was undone on 32.
4.15pm – Australia loses first wicket after robust begin
India was in every single place within the first hour of play, however the hosts lastly acquired their first breakthrough when Travis Head was undone making an attempt to bop down the wicket.
Head was caught at mid-wicket after his drive struck the tow of the bat and lofted gently to Ravindra Jadeja off the bowling of Ravi Ashwin.
Head had earlier been dropped chilly by Srikar Bharat when he nicked via to the keeper with simply 5 runs to his title.
His wicket acquired India again into the competition at 1/63.
3pm – Waugh blows up as pitch furore erupts once more
Steve Smith gained the toss and elected to bat — however he nonetheless regarded unsure about what the deck will ship.
Smith had beforehand stated he was stunned in regards to the look of the Ahmedabad wicket — and was unable to work out which of the pitches in the course of the bottom had been really the one being ready for the Fourth Test.
“Can’t remember being unsure two days out which pitch I would be playing on,” he stated.
Smith’s declaration prompted anger from Aussie Test legend Mark Waugh.
“This is not on,” he stated on Fox Cricket earlier than the toss.
“I mean in Australia the curators are told months in advance. They set up the pitch for the cameras. But in India it’s different. It’s like County cricket. You used to turn up to County grounds and there were three pitches prepared, depending on who turned up for the opposition side and then they would decide. I don’t know what’s going on with this, but something has to be done about this.”
Aussie Test nice Brad Haddin described the state of affairs as “carnage”.
The Aussie crew was not even in a position to practice on the sector due to the particular appearances of Modi and Albanese.
“That’s all part of the theatre of touring India,” he stated on Fox Cricket.
“We haven’t known what the wicket is and now you can’t even get on the ground. That’s all part of the theatre. You just have to embrace the carnage and that’s what Steve Smith has done with this Australian team.”
2.30pm – Albo sparks chaos at gigantic stadium
There could also be a cricket match being performed at Ahmedabad’s gigantic stadium however it’s not the principle attraction there on Thursday.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom the stadium is called after, has welcomed his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese at a celebration of the Indian chief.
The Narendra Modi Stadium has a capability of 130,000, and the marvel of sporting structure has been used for big political occasions, together with when Modi welcomed then US President Donald Trump in 2020.
The official assembly between Modi and Albanese meant the 2 groups have been barred from warming up on the sector and have been relegated to the skin nets.
Images of the 2 Prime Ministers, accompanied with the message “Friendship Through Cricket”, are emblazoned on the stadium’s exterior and on giant panels inside the sector.
The official file crowd for a day of Test cricket was set in 2013 when 91,112 folks attended Day 1 of the Boxing Day Ashes Test.
A brand new file might effectively be set in Ahmedabad.
Albanese and Modi had been paraded across the stadium earlier than the toss of the coin amid a lot pomp and ceremony.
The pair had been pushed across the stadium in a particular automobile that allowed each to wave to the gang in an open-top “pope-mobile”.
2.30pm – Australia confirms unchanged crew
Expected Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann
India, in the meantime, made one change by bringing fast Mohammed Shami again.
Source: www.news.com.au
