Australia announce playing eleven for Brisbane Test against India

After drawing the third match at Sydney, Ajinkya Rahane and team will look to upstage Australia in the 4th and final Test match at The Gabba. Australia’s opening batsman Will Pucovski has been ruled out of the final Test after sustaining a shoulder injury. 

The young batsman was also not a part of the first two matches in Adelaide and Melbourne. However, he successfully made his Test debut at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. The 22-year-old impressed with his brilliant 62 runs knock in the first innings. 

However, during the last day of the Pink Test, Will sustained a shoulder injury while fielding. His participation in the Brisbane Test became doubtful. The team management recently announced his unavailability and the player to replace the youngster.

Marcus Harris included in the squad as a replacement of Will Pucovski

Marcus Harris made his Test debut against India at Adelaide two years ago. The left-handed batsman has featured in nine Tests so far. However, the 28-year-old has not featured in any match since Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2020.

His inclusion in the team that the men in yellow will not be having the luxury of a left-right opening combination. He is going to open the innings with David Warner. The batsman has scored 385 runs at an average and strike-rate of 24.06 in the nine matches. 

Going into the final Test, the hosts will again expect their middle-order batsman Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Smith won the match of the award after his 27th Test century. On the other end, Labuschagne is also in great form. Matthew Wade, who received a lot of criticism for throwing his wicket away, might be a player to watch out for in the next game. Cameron Green has also performed well in his maiden Test series. 

The entire focus will also be on the Australian captain Tim Paine. The wicket-keeper batsman received a lot of criticism from the cricket fraternity and the fans as well. Talking about Australia’s bowling department, the pace trio will hope to make merry at Australia’s fortress. The trio could not dislodge the Indian batting unit due to some formidable resistance from the men in blue. The Gabba Test will also mark the 100th Test for off-spinner Nathan Lyon. He is just four wickets away to complete his 400 wickets in the format.

Australia’s playing XI

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins,  Josh Hazlewood.

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