Melbourne, Australia: Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is hopeful about his fitness before the third Test against India at the famous Gabba stadium in Brisbane. Hazlewood has been dealing with a side strain, which kept him out of the game when Australia won the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets, tying the five-match series at 1-1. This win has given the team a boost in their chances of reaching the ICC World Test Championship Final next year.
Hazlewood, who took four wickets in the first Test in Perth, worked hard on his fitness in Adelaide on Monday. He hopes to play in the upcoming Test if he doesn’t feel any pain in the next couple of days. “It really depends on how I feel in the 24 hours after my workout,” Hazlewood said, adding, “It’s important to cool down and then see how my body reacts before deciding if I can play again.”
If Hazlewood returns, Scott Boland may have to sit out, even though he played well in Adelaide. Both bowlers will head to Brisbane for the test match, where Australia hopes to improve their recent record. They have lost two out of the last four Tests held at the Gabba, including a match against India. Hazlewood believes that if the team adjusts quickly to playing with a red ball instead of a pink one, they will do well. “We usually play well in Brisbane. The last match was with a pink ball, but the red ball suits us better,” he explained.
In the second Test, India elected to bat first but struggled against the moving pink ball and fast bowler Mitchell Starc. They managed just 180 runs, with only a few partnerships standing out. Australian captain Pat Cummins and Boland took crucial wickets.
In their first innings, Australia put together a strong performance, with Travis Head scoring 140 runs. This helped them get to a total of 337 runs, giving them a lead of 157 runs.
In the second innings, India faced more challenges as their star players failed to perform. They ended the day at 128 for 5 wickets. The next day didn’t go better for India, who got bowled out for just 175 runs, with Australia needing only 19 runs to win. Cummins took five wickets, while Boland and Starc chipped in as well.
With a target of just 19 runs, Khawaja and McSweeney quickly scored the runs in just 3.2 overs, giving Australia a comfortable win.
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