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Gearing up for the Boxing Day Test, Australia opener Usman Khawaja recalled the last time he played against India at the MCG.
India to face Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG
The upcoming Boxing Day Test in Melbourne is expected to witness a record footfall at the MCG. All tickets for the opening day of the Test match have been sold out and if reports are to be believed, the iconic venue would see the largest collective crowd since the 1954 Ashes Test, when 3,00,270 fans marked their presence. The ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy is evenly poised and just like the last three encounters, the Indian fans are going to lit up the ‘G’.
Gearing up for the Boxing Day Test, Australia opener Usman Khawaja recalled the last time he played against India at the MCG.
Speaking to Star Sports, he said, “The funny thing is, when we play in Melbourne, it feels like an Indian home game. I played in Melbourne last time, and there were so many people supporting India. I remember the announcer urging everyone to cheer for Australia, but the crowd made less noise. Then, when he asked them to cheer for India, the noise was incredible. I was like, ‘Are we in Delhi or the MCG?’ It can be funny because you get a lot of Indian supporters in Australia, and it can feel a bit weird being the home team.”
India’s record in Boxing Day Tests
India won the Boxing Day Tests in their last two tours and drew one fixture before that. However, they have lost 8 fixtures out of 14 played at this venue and drew twice.
The upcoming fixture against Australia will also mark the beginning of an era without Ashwin in Tests. The veteran off-spinner announced his retirement after the conclusion of the Brisbane Test, which ended without a result. Ashwin retired as India’s second-highest wicket-taker for India, after Anil Kumble, in the longest format of the game.
Meanwhile, Australia made several changes to their squad for the remaining fixtures after Josh Hazlewood was ruled out. The George Bailey-led selection panel dropped Nathan McSweeney and replaced him with Sam Konstas. The hosts have also added Sean Abbott, Beau Webster and Jhye Richardson to the squad
- Location :
Melbourne, Australia
