Big Picture: Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line

But it's also been a curious few days for the visitors. Virat Kohli had a run-in with a reporter at the Melbourne airport; Ravindra Jadeja only took questions in Hindi at a press conference which got some people annoyed; and there were suggestions of a conspiracy when India were given used pitches to train on at the MCG.

Meanwhile, in terms of the important things, they are still trying to find enough support for Bumrah and more runs from a misfiring top order. There does not appear much India can do about the batting order in terms of personnel, instead they will hope someone can follow the lead of KL Rahul.

Australia's top order remains under scrutiny amid the call to drop Nathan McSweeney in favour of Konstas at such a crucial moment in the series while senior batters Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne remain low on runs. Travis Head, who picked up a quad niggle in Brisbane but is good to go, has been the game-changer while Steven Smith's hundred was timely and by the end of it he was playing very fluently.

The fact that Scott Boland can slot back in at a ground he has enjoyed so much success on (headlined by his 6 for 7 against England in 2021-22) shows the pace-bowling depth Australia have. It may just be what makes the difference, although don't count out Bumrah being able to win it almost on his own for India, who have not lost a Test at the MCG since 2011.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia DWLWW
India DLWLL

In the spotlight: Usman Khawaja and Virat Kohli

Team news: Konstas debut, Boland back; India's balance question

Konstas' debut was confirmed on Christmas Eve while Boland will return in place of the injured Josh Hazlewood. Head passed a fitness test on Christmas Day after coming out of the Gabba with a quad strain.

Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Sam Konstas, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland

Rohit Sharma's batting position remains a hot topic and he did not confirm where he would slot in ahead of the game, but it seems unlikely India will break up the opening pair. The other key debate is what to do at No. 8: stick with Nitesh Kumar Reddy, pick another specialist quick (which would lengthen the tail) or play Washington Sundar as an alternative allrounder and opt for a 3-2 balance of pace and spin?

India (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Rohit Sharma (capt), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Nitesh Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar, 9 Akash Deep, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and conditions: Sizzling temperatures on Boxing Day

Stats and trivia

Quotes

"Every game starts afreshdifferent teams, different structures. Think both teams have similar challenges at the moment. How do you find runs? Both bowling attacks have been on top. I'm not a big believer in history repeating itself.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald wasn't reading much into past Boxing Day results

"After three Test matches, if I had to look at it being one-all, it's a fair reflection of how both teams have played. There has been solid cricket being played by both teams."
Rohit Sharma on the state of the series