INDIA VS AUSTRALIA 5th TEST: LIVE UPDATES AND ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

The cricketing world is eagerly watching as India and Australia gear up for the final Test of the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). One big question remains—will Rohit Sharma lead India at the toss, or will Jasprit Bumrah step in as captain? Rohit’s recent struggles with both the bat and his captaincy have raised concerns, especially as India trails 2-1 in the series.

This match is crucial for India. A win will allow them to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fifth consecutive time. However, if Australia wins or even secures a draw, they will reclaim the trophy for the first time in ten years. Beyond that, this match has high stakes for India’s chances in the World Test Championship (WTC). To stay in the race for the WTC final, India must win and hope Sri Lanka beats Australia 2-0 or 1-0 in their upcoming series. On the other hand, if Australia secures a victory here, they’ll confirm their spot in the WTC final at Lord’s this June.

The series so far has been a rollercoaster ride. India started strong with a massive 295-run victory in Perth under Bumrah’s leadership. Australia fought back with a dominant 10-wicket win in the day-night Test at Adelaide. The third Test at Gabba ended in a draw, thanks to rain saving India from defeat. Australia then delivered another blow by winning the Melbourne Test by 185 runs after a tense final day.

As for team updates, Australia has dropped Mitchell Marsh for this match, giving Beau Webster his debut opportunity.

### Toss Details
– **Time:** 4:30 AM IST

### Pitch Report
The SCG pitch is typically a batter-friendly track but could offer some assistance to spinners as the game progresses.

### Weather Update
There’s a chance of rain early in the morning at Sydney, but things are expected to clear up by the time the match begins.

### Probable Playing XIs

**India**:
– Yashasvi Jaiswal
– Rohit Sharma (C)
– KL Rahul
– Virat Kohli
– Rishabh Pant (WK)
– Ravindra Jadeja
– Nitish Kumar Reddy
– Washington Sundar
– Jasprit Bumrah
– Akash Deep
– Mohammed Siraj

**Australia**:
– Sam Konstas
– Usman Khawaja
– Marnus Labuschagne
– Steven Smith
– Travis Head
– Beau Webster
– Alex Carey (WK)
– Pat Cummins (C)
– Mitchell Starc
– Nathan Lyon
– Scott Boland

### Full Squads

**India Squad:**
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana

**Australia Squad:**
Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Beau Webster, Jhye Richardson, Sean Abbott

Stay tuned as this high-stakes clash unfolds—it’s all or nothing for Team India!