Australia captain Pat Cummins on Christmas Day announced two changes to the playing XI for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Cummins confirmed that teenager Sam Konstas who replaced Nathan McSweeney in the squad will make his debut. Also, Scott Boland will replace an injured Josh Hazlewood.
Cummins also provided an update on their in-form player Travis Head who has become a headache for Team India. The captain said Head ticked all the boxes in the net session.
"Trav's good to go, he'll play," Australia's skipper told the reporters. "He just ticked off some final things today and yesterday. But no worries about injury with Trav. He'll go into the game fully fit.
"I don't think you'll see too much management of him throughout the game. He just kind of plays as is. Maybe around fielding, if he's a bit uncomfortable, we will (manage him), but he's fully fit."
Head is by far the leading run-scorer in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 with two centuries and one half-centuries to his name. Steve Smith is the only other Australian to score a century in the series so far.
"It feels like the last 12 months, he's been in this unbelievable vein of form and he just keeps going on with it," said Cummins.
"He's hitting the ball really cleanly. You can see the pressure that he shifts back onto the opposition literally from the first ball that he walks out there.
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"I'm loving that he's in our team and I don't have to try to set a field and bowl to him. He's hitting the ball as well as I've ever seen anyone. So long may it continue."
Meanwhile, Australia have not beaten in India at the MCG since 2011. The Test in 2014 ended in a draw whereas Australia have faced defeats in the last two clashes at the venue.
Australia Playing XI for fourth Test against India -
Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland