India vs Australia : All you need to know for the Boxing day test

Amid a tied Test series (1-1) between India and Australia, the Boxing Day Test has sparked immense interest.

Australia has announced its playing XI for the Boxing Day Test against India. With Josh Hazlewood injured, Scott Boland has been included. Seventeen-year-old opener Sam Konstas has been drafted into the squad, replacing Nathan McSweeney. Konstas is set to become Australia’s youngest Test cricketer, breaking Pat Cummins’ record from 2011.

Match Details

• Teams: Australia vs India
• Event: Fourth NRMA Insurance Test Match
• Date: December 26-30, 2024, first ball at 5:00 AM IST
• Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Victoria
• Where to Watch: Hotstar, Star Sports Network, Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports, Channel 7, and 7Plus
• Player of the Match: Johnny Mullagh Trophy to be awarded
• Umpires: Joel Wilson, Michael Gough (on-field), Sharfuddoula Saikat (third umpire), Shaun Craig (fourth umpire), Andy Pycroft (referee)

Squads

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah (final XI subject to changes)

MCG Details

• Seating Capacity: 100,000

Match Sessions (IST)

• First Session: 5:00 AM – 7:00 AM
• Second Session: 7:40 AM – 9:40 AM
• Third Session: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  (An additional 30 minutes may be added daily if overs remain incomplete.)

Series Schedule

• First Test: India won by 295 runs
• Second Test: Australia won by 10 wickets
• Third Test: Draw
• Fourth Test: December 26-30, MCG, Melbourne
• Fifth Test: January 3-7, SCG, Sydney

Head-to-Head Statistics

• Overall: Australia – 46 wins, India – 33 wins, 30 draws, 1 tie
• In Australia: Australia – 31 wins, India – 10 wins, 14 draws
• Last 10 Years:
  • Australia: 8 wins (5 home, 2 in India, 1 neutral)
  • India: 9 wins (4 home, 5 in Australia), 7 draws (5 in Australia, 2 in India)

Form Guide (Last 10 Matches | W: Win, L: Loss, D: Draw)

• Australia: D-W-L-W-W-L-W-W-W-W
• India: D-L-W-L-L-L-W-W-W-W