Big picture: SCG showdown to decide Border-Gavaskar Trophy

For a while it looked like India might be able to escape the MCG with a draw. Yashasvi Jaiswal once again proved to be India's best batter. At the end of that game, Rohit said the juniors still had a bit to learn about Test cricket, but it seems like they're doing alright. Jaiswal is India's highest scorer of the series. Nitish Kumar Reddy produced their best moment. Akash Deep has won Steven Smith's admiration, but he's out of the Sydney Test with a bad back. India's vulnerabilities lie elsewhere.

Form Guide

Australia: WDWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: LDLWL

In the spotlight: Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins

Team news: Webster in; Akash out

Mitchell Starc will play in Sydney while managing a side/rib complaint. Webster, who bats right-handed and bowls both medium pace and offspin, will be the third debutant for Australia in this series after Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas. He was the highest scorer in the Sheffield Shield last season with 938 runs at 58.62 and took 30 wickets at 29.30.

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

Mohammed Siraj seemed to bowl better when he was brought in as first change after Bumrah and Akash Deep had built pressure with the new ball. With Akash ruled out with a stiff back, India will have to rejig their bowling attack, with either Prasidh Krishna or Harshit Rana set to replace him.

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Prasidh Krishna/Harshit Rana, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Pitch and conditions: A good cricket wicket

A day out from the Test match, there was a bit of grass on the SCG pitch. The feedback Cummins has received about it from the two Shield games that took place here this season is that it's been a "good cricket wicket", with enough in it for the bowlers, particularly that there's a bit more pace in it. The weather for the start of the Test is expected to be clear, although there is some rain forecast on the final two days.

Stats and trivia

Quotes

If someone had said 40-45 days ago that we would be in this situation, that we can come to Sydney and draw this series, it's a good position to be in.
India coach Gautam Gambhir

You go into every Test trying to win so no different this week. Really happy with the last three Tests, how the boys have played, we've shown for most that we've been the frontrunner, that's the aim again this week, keep it up.
Australia captain Pat Cummins