"India have their nose ahead....": Shastri's bold prediction ahead of Boxing Day Test at MCG

With the series level at 1-1, both sides will be playing the much-anticipated Boxing Day Test intending to secure an all-important series lead needed to push a case for the ICC World Test Championship final.

Speaking to news.com.au, Shastri said that the match would be a "cracking game".

"I think India would take this, the way the series is poised. Any overseas team being 1-1, especially with the games being in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, they would take this. Going 1-1 into Boxing Day is the best-case scenario. I would say India has their nose ahead," he added.

Shastri said that India has come here to "win" and not "fill in the numbers". He said that a team has to have well-thought-out plans and methods to win in Australia and merely competing does not help.

"Even when I was the coach, our mantra was to play extremely hard, fair and to win."

"You have to think of a method to beat Australia and not just compete. You have got to plan properly, how to take your 20 wickets. India have done that and been very aggressive. They have been in the face of Australia and give as good as they get. It has been entertaining and feisty stuff."

"India have their nose ahead. I think the first day of the Boxing Day Test will determine which way the series will go," he added.

Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India's squad for fourth and fifth Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian. (ANI)