The Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the fourth Test match of the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting on December 26, 2024. A victory for either team in the Boxing Day Test might give the series the tremendous boost it needs before the fifth and final Test in Sydney. The series is delicately poised at a 1-1 scoreline.
Regarding India’s record versus Australia in Boxing Day Tests, it hasn’t been very noteworthy. Australia had five wins and two draws up to India’s last Boxing Day Test in 2020. Ajinkya Rahane led India to an eight-wicket victory at the MCG during
The 2021–21 tour of Australia, making it a memorable trip.
Australia has won eight Boxing Day Test matches in the past ten years, five at home, two away, and one at a neutral location. India, on the other side, has nine victories (two away and four at home, along with seven draws).
With 3630 runs, Sachin Tendulkar is in first place. Steve Smith (2,166), Virat Kohli (2,168), VVS Laxman (2,434), and Ricky Ponting (2,555) come after him.
With 1893 runs, Ponting leads Australia’s run-scoring list. Sachin (1,809), Kohli (1,478), Laxman (1,236), and Smith (1,206) are next in line.
Nathan Lyon is the bowler with the most wickets (124), followed by Ravindra Jadeja (89), Harbhajan Singh (95), Anil Kumble (111), and Ravichandran Ashwin (115) in descending order. In Australia, Lyon (63) continues to lead. Following the off-spinner are Anil Kumble (49), Pat Cummins (49), Mitch Starc (49), and Kapil Dev (51).
The session-by-session timings for the Boxing Day Test are as follows:
- First session: 5-7 am IST
- Second session: 7:40-9:40 am IST
- Third session: 10 am-12 pm IST
*An additonal 30-minute period can be used, if needed, in order to complete the required quota of overs for the day.
Ahead of the fourth Test, there are some interesting statistics which certain players could attain. Indian pace-bowling spearhead, Jaspirt Bumrah, is only six wickets away from becoming the 12th Indian to secure 200 Test dismissals. Smith needs 191 runs to become the fourth Australian to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
Another interesting point to note is that the Australian bowling unit has dismissed 27 batters within the first 20 deliveries faced in the last three Tests played in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Indian batters possess a strike rate of 59 in the first 20 deliveries faced in Tests in 2024.
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