Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma is set to open the innings in the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne, with KL Rahul batting at No. 3, according to a report by the Times of India. Rohit will return to the opening position after having batted at No. 6 in the previous two matches. However, the report does not clarify where Shubman Gill will be positioned in the batting order. Additionally, India is reportedly considering playing two spinners, with Washington Sundar partnering Ravindra Jadeja. As a result, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has performed well with the bat in the ongoing five-match Test series, is expected to miss out.
On the Australian side, fast bowler Mitchell Starc is just five wickets away from reaching 700 international wickets, a milestone that would make him only the fourth Australian bowler to do so. The other three are spinner Shane Warne (1,001 wickets), Glenn McGrath (949 wickets), and Brett Lee (718 wickets).
Starc has accumulated 695 wickets in 284 international matches, with an average of 25.67. His best figures are 6/28, and he has taken 24 five-wicket hauls. Test cricket has been his most successful format, with 372 wickets in 92 matches at an average of 27.55, including a best of 6/48 and 15 five-wicket hauls. In ODIs, he has 244 wickets in 127 matches at an average of 23.40, with best figures of 6/28 and nine five-wicket hauls. In T20Is, Starc has 79 wickets in 65 matches at an average of 23.81, with best figures of 4/20. He is Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, behind spinner Adam Zampa (117).
Starc’s wickets have played a crucial role in Australia’s significant victories, including two ICC Cricket World Cups (2015 and 2023), the ICC T20 World Cup (2021), and the ICC World Test Championship match last year.
Starc is also one wicket away from completing 100 international wickets against India, a feat only previously achieved by Nathan Lyon and Brett Lee for Australia, and by 14 other players overall. In 45 matches against India, Starc has taken 99 wickets at an average of 33.51, with best figures of 6/51 and three five-wicket hauls. England’s James Anderson holds the record for the most international wickets against India, with 189 scalps in 72 matches, while for Australia, it is Lyon with 128 wickets in 38 matches.
