Has Rohit played his last Test? Last international game? I guess we will have to wait for that announcement.

Three debutants for Australia in the top seven this series - Nathan McSweeny, Sam Konstas, & Beau Webster. The last time Australia have had as many in a series was against Pakistan in UAE in 2018 when Aaron Finch, Travis Head, & Marnus Labuschagne debuted with three first choice players missing out due to Sandpaper-gate. The last time they have had as many in a home series was four against South Africa in 2016 (Callum Ferguson, Matt Renshaw, Nic Maddinson, & Peter Handscomb) which they lost 1-2.

There is 7mm grass on the deck and despite that India have opted to bat first in overcast conditions. Talk about being bold! But is bravado devoid of calculations? Or have India tried to decipher the surface underneath?

There is a lot of grass on the pitch. The sun is not out and it is very overcast. The new ball will not be easy for the batters. Konstas batted well at the MCG. Batting with the new ball won't be easy. The captain would ideally want to bowl first. - Sunny G at the pitch report.

Pat Cummins: We were looking to bat as well. But it is overcast and hopefully we will swing the ball early. Sell out in the first few days. Just kept replaying in our heads the last session. Feels like every summer gets bigger and bigger here in Australia. This week is always special. Just one change. Beau Webster is debuting in place of Mitchell Marsh.

Jasprit Bumrah: We are looking to bat first. We have played some good cricket. The last match was exciting. The grass doesn't look spicy. We always have learnt to digest defeats. We will look forward to this. Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have. We have two changes. Rohit has opted out and Prasidh comes in for the injured Akashdeep.

Teams:

Australia (Playing XI): Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

Jasprit Bumrah: We are looking to bat first. We have played some good cricket. The last match was exciting. The grass doesn't look spicy. We always have learnt to digest defeats. We will look forward to this. Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have. We have two changes. Rohit has opted out and Prasidh comes in for the injured Akashdeep.

India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah(c), Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj

Pat Cummins: We were looking to bat as well. But it is overcast and hopefully we will swing the ball early. Sell out in the first few days. Just kept replaying in our heads the last session. Feels like every summer gets bigger and bigger here in Australia. This week is always special. Just one change. Beau Webster is debuting in place of Mitchell Marsh.

Jasprit Bumrah: We are looking to bat first. We have played some good cricket. The last match was exciting. The grass doesn't look spicy. We always have learnt to digest defeats. We will look forward to this. Our skipper has opted to rest. It shows the unity we have. We have two changes. Rohit has opted out and Prasidh comes in for the injured Akashdeep.

India have won the toss and have opted to bat

Indai barring selection woes would look to recover from the final session collapse at the MCG.

India drop Rohit? More heads to roll? Can India manufacture a win? Or will Australia win it with another stroll? Hello and welcome to our coverage of the fifth Test between India and Australia. It is easy peasy for the Aussies as the Indian camp looks rattled. India had won the previous two tours. But they won't be third time lucky. Stern calls would be made after the tour. But India will have answers to scour. There's isn't much time left and they will have to rely on their Pied Piper Bumrah to work his hypnosis for one last time. Australia have already announced their XI and the rope for Marsh has ended. But they have momentum on their side and would be too hot to handle.

Australia follow the same pattern, Smith shines again and Indian fans are left forlorn. Reddy tries to be an unlikely saviour. But Australia on a roll are a tough side to endure. India try to take it deep but the batting comes a cropper in the final essay and are left with dismay.

Brisbane is all about rain. Aussies amass 445 as Smith and Head shine. India's 10 and Jack show some courage, avoid follow-on and buy India time. It is 1-1 still but India were timid and Australia sniff a kill. Ashwin calls it a day. India live for another day.

Bumrah declared as GOAT but Adelaide draped in pink is the unbreachable fort. Starc leads with a 6-fer as Indian batters falter. Head plies his trade and Indian batters once again face the tirade. Cummins stars with five. The Aussies regain some vibe.

A little recap - Smith goes back to four. 'Buddha' McSweeney at the fore. Sharma misses Perth and India shunted for 150. Bumrah picks five, India have a slender lead of 46 and then Rahul and Jaiswal arrive. Kohli claims a ton, India thrive and win by 295!

09:30 Local Time, 22:30 GMT, 04:00 IST: You may delay, time will not. This rhetorical statement must have mimicked Rohit Sharma's state of mind. His numbers in red ball cricket have dripped drastically and more so on this tour that in all likelihood the captain would be dropping himself for this Test at the SCG. The coach of the Indian team - Gautam Gambhir - had considered doing the same for KKR and did so while playing for Delhi in the IPL. Thus, it won't come as a complete shock to the cricketing fraternity that Rohit might well be RESTED for the final Test. A captain sitting out because of bad form is a rarity in cricket and more so in Indian cricket. But tough times call for tough measures. Jasprit Bumrah has been the lone wolf in the bowling department and will take on the mantle of captaincy as well. India have a barrage of other problems but need a Test win to stay just about afloat in the WTC. Though it seems the ship has sailed...