cricket

Updated: Dec 23, 2018 18:37 IST

Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden feels that India are well-equipped in all departments of the game to win their first-ever Test series in Australia. The four-match series is currently locked at 1-1 with India winning the first match in Adelaide and Australia taking the second in Perth.

India have never tasted a Test series victory in Australia in their previous eleven attempts and the Adelaide win was their only sixth Down Under in the history of the game. Despite this, Hayden feels that Virat Kohli’s troops are top favourites to return home with the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

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“I think India should clinch the series. Why? Because, they have a balanced side, an extremely settled bowling unit, and depth in spin,” Hayden was quoted as saying by the Mumbai Mirror.

“It is hard to win away from home and this will prove to be no different. But India should win, they really are the favourites, they need good partnerships, which they have not had,” he added.

However, the visitors are going through an injury crisis ahead of the third Test in Melbourne, starting Wednesday. Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are both under an injury cloud ahead of the Boxing Day test

India coach Ravi Shastri said off-spinner Ashwin was still recovering from an abdominal strain that caused him to miss the second test in Perth, while left-arm spinner Jadeja had been nursing a shoulder problem.

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Good news for India is that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is available for the crunch clash at the MCG. Pandya has joined the squad after recovering from a back injury sustained during the Asia Cup, earlier this year.