IND vs AUS 4th Test Toss: India win toss, opt to bat; Kuldeep & Labuschagne picked

For the final time in the 4-match Test series against Australia, India won the toss on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground and opted to bat first.

AUS vs IND 4^th Test Toss: India have won the toss, opt to bat first

For the final time in the 4-match Test series against Australia, India won the toss on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground and opted to bat first.

The visitors had already announced a completely different 13-man squad on Wednesday which didn’t have Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma but included all the three spinners.

Finally, Kuldeep Yadav gets to play his first Test on the Australian soil as he replaced Ishant while Rahul is back in the playing XI in place of Rohit Sharma and will open with Mayank Agarwal.

“Looks like a pretty good wicket, good covering of grass on it. The spinners will come into play; an ideal day to bat. We haven't discussed that to be honest. It's another Test match for our country, something we are very proud about. We have to play good, hard-fought cricket for the next five days,” said Kohli after winning the toss.

“Rohit Sharma is back home. He's become a father which is a great thing. KL Rahul replaces him at the top of the order. Vihari comes in at six. Kuldeep Yadav comes in place of Ishant Sharma,” he added.

Australian captain Tim Paine stated that he would have batted first too, going by the conditions. The hosts have also made two changes – Peter Handscomb is back in the squad alongside Marnus Labuschagne, replacing Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh.

“There's a bit of grass coverage, hopefully we bring slips and keeper into play. We need to improve in all areas from Melbourne. We need to focus on doing the basics right. If we stay in the moment and put India under pressure, then we can be in the game,” said Paine.

“Marnus Labuschagne and Handscomb come back in. The top six - Khawaja will go to the top of the order. Marnus will bat at three, so we'll have Marsh, Head and Handscomb,” he added.

Playing XIs:

India: Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Tim Paine(w/c), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.