In a bid to stay alive in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 Final race, both India and Australia will take on each other in the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 contest starting January 3. This Test is a do-or-die for India, while for Australia a loss or a drawn, won't hamper their chances too much, with their upcoming Sri Lanka tour remaining. South Africa have already booked their ICC WTC 2023-25 Final ticket, and with only one spot remaining, the pressure will be Indian national cricket team to make it count. Rift Within Team India? Senior Indian National Cricket Team Member Attempting To Be Interim Skipper Under Regular Captain Rohit Sharma Ahead Of IND vs AUS 5th Test 2025: Report.

India started the BGT 2024-25 with a bang, winning the first Test at Perth comprehensively, but since then have performed under-par, losing the Adelaide, and Melbourne encounters against Australia to go 2-1 down in the five-match series, with the Brisbane contest being a draw. Veterans like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will need to come out of their poor form and rally the team amidst reports of rift within the camp, which is never a good sign heading into a crucial Test.

Australia, on the other hand, needs to worry about Mitchell Starc, who is facing issues with his ribs, and lack of form for Mitchell Marsh, who has been running short of runs and wickets.  The influx of Sam Konstas has proved to be a morale booster for the Pat Cummins-led side, who will want to beat India, and qualify for the WTC 2023-25 Final next year.

IND vs AUS Head-to-Head Record in Test Matches

India and Australia have played 111 Tests against each other, where the Indian national cricket team has come out victorious 33 times, and the Australian national cricket team have won 47 ties, while 30 have been draws, and one was a tie.

IND vs AUS 5th Test Key Players

Yashasvi Jaiswal 
Pat Cummins 
Jasprit Bumrah 
Nitish Kumar Reddy 
Steve Smith 

IND vs AUS 5th Test Key Battles

A crucial battle would be between Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Mitchell Starc, who have been engaged in a fun rivalry, where both are trying to one-up each other, where the Australia pacer is winning. Steve Smith came into this own at Melbourne and will look to ransack the Indian bowling on his home turf as well. However, Jasprit Bumrah will want to stop the Australian batter and not let Smith dictate the Test on his terms.  IND vs AUS 5th Test 2024: Can Rohit Sharma Fit in Shubman Gill For Sydney Test?.

IND vs AUS 5th Test Venue and Match Timing

The fifth and final Test between India and Australia will be played at the scenic Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. The IND vs AUS 5th Test 2024-25 will start at 5:00 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on January 3, Friday. 

IND vs AUS 5th Test Match Live Telecast and Online Streaming

The official broadcasting rights for the IND vs AUS BGT 2024-25 Series are brought by Star Sports Network, who will provide live telecast viewing option for IND vs AUS 5th Test 2024-25 on Star Sports TV channels. For live streaming viewing option of the India vs Australia 5th Test 2024-25 match, fans can switch over to the Disney+ Hotstar mobile app and website, which will need a subscription. 'Mitchell Starc Will Push Through the Rib Injury', Alex Carey Talks About Australia Pacer’s Fitness Ahead of IND vs AUS 5th Test.

IND vs AUS Likely XI for 5th Test 2024-25

India National Cricket Team Likely XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

Australia National Cricket Team Confirmed XI: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2025 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).