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A bunch of passionate cricket fans gather outside the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground as the fifth Test match between India and Australia of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy kicks off on Friday.
Earlier at the Melbourne Test, Australia clinched an 184-run victory over India and took a 2-1 lead in the series, also ending India's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord's early next year. Several Indian fans came with dholaks to cheer the tourists at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Ahead of the game, they also cheered the fans who were outside the stadium with the tune of Dholak. Speaking to ANI, a cricket fan said that he is waiting to see Jasprit Bumrah's magic at the Sydney Test against Australia. "...I am waiting to see (Jasprit) Bumrah's magic. I am excited for the match...," a fan told ANI. An Aussie fan believed that the hosts would put on 500 runs on the scoreboard in their first inning. "...I think we will win the toss and we will bat. I think we will put on 500...," an Aussie fan said. Meanwhile, a neutral cricket fan from Sri Lanka said that he would choose to bowl first after winning the conditions because of the weather in Sydney. "...It's a good toss to win. I would probably bowl under these (weather) conditions. I am looking forward to 5 days of good cricket..." During the time of toss, talisman India pacer Jasprit Bumrah came out in the blazer and confirmed that top-order batter Rohit Sharma opted to rest for the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. Despite moments of brilliance from both sides, India's batting remains a concern heading into the final game. With senior players out of form, the responsibility has fallen on the youngsters to help the team reach competitive scores throughout the series. Rohit's return to ongoing BGT has been marked by his lack of form and struggle to put runs across his name. The seasoned opener has just 31 runs from five innings, with an average of 6.20 in the ongoing series against Australia. Rohit has faced criticism over his Test batting since the Bangladesh series. He amassed only 42 runs in two Test matches while averaging just 10.50 Earlier at the Sydney Test on Friday, Jasprit Bumrah-led India won the toss and decided to bat against Australia at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia (Playing XI): Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland. India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj. (ANI)
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