Text size

Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.

The game will begin in hot temperatures, with temperatures expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) and a crowd of more than 90,000 expected.

The five-match series is tied 1-1 after India won by 295 runs in Perth before being beaten by 10 wickets in Adelaide. The rain-affected third Test in Brisbane has been drawn.

For Australia, 19-year-old Sam Konstas makes his debut and opens alongside veteran Usman Khawaja after Nathan McSweeney was ruled out.

He is one of two changes, with seamer Scott Boland filling in for the injured Josh Hazlewood.

“There is a bit of grass like an old MCG wicket. Feels nice and tight,” Cummins said.

“Sam will open the batting and Scott will also come on for Hazlewood.”

India made a change and brought in Washington Sundar as the second spin option and dropped number three Shubman Gill.

“We would have fought too,” said captain Rohit Sharma, who said he would return for the opening game despite being listed third in the team list.

“It’s a good pitch but we bowl first and we have to bowl well.”

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

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (Capt), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

Referees: Joel Wilson (WIS), Michael Gough (ENG)

TV referee: Sharfuddoula Saikat (BAN)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

mp/dhc