Published 14:40 IST, January 7th 2021
Michael Vaughan, Brad Haddin accuse India of being 'scared' of losing at The Gabba?
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan feels that Team India doesn't want to travel to Brisbane because they are scared of the pitch at The Gabba.
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In the last few days, several reports have emerged which stated that the Indian team is not willing to go through a hard quarantine upon arriving in Brisbane for the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that Team India doesn't want to travel to Brisbane because they are scared of the pitch at the Gabba. For the unversed, the surface at the Gabba is renowned for its assistance to pace bowlers as it generates extreme pace and bounce.
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Michael Vaughan takes cheeky dig at India for not wanting to play at Gabba
Vaughan took to Twitter and retweeted a tweet which stated that the Gabba Test was in doubt as Team India are reportedly not willing to fly to Brisbane. The Englishman, in his tweet, took a sly dig at Team India asking if COVID-19 restrictions is the actual reason behind it or the pitch at the Gabba that they are worried about.
Vaughan's dig at the Indian team comes just a few days after former Australian wicketkeeper Brad haddin claimed that India do not want to play the fourth and final Test match at Brisbane as the hosts have an impeccable record at the Gabba. Notably, Australia's numbers at the Gabba are extremely impressive.
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The Aussies have a formidable record at the Gabba, Brisbane when it comes to the game's longest format. In the 62 matches that have played at the venue, the hosts have won 40 of them and has only managed eight losses. As many as 13 of those wins have come by an innings. What is remarkable is the fact that the hosts haven't lost at the Gabba in 28 matches, a record dating back to 1988. If the Test goes ahead as planned and India want to beat Australia, they will have to pull off something spectacular.
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India vs Australia live score update
Meanwhile, having won the toss, Australia opted to bat first in the India vs Australia 3rd Test. Australia lost opener, David Warner, early on in the innings but managed to recover well. Debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship and stitched a 100-run stand before the former was dismissed. At Stumps of Day 1, Australia's scoreboard read 166/2 after 55 overs with Labuschagne batting on 67 and Smith unbeaten on 31. The hosts will want the duo to carry on and lay a solid foundation for the batters to come and score big. On the other hand, India will want to break their partnership early on Day 2 because if both of them get going, the visitors will completely be put on the backfoot.
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SOURCE: AP
14:40 IST, January 7th 2021