Jasprit Bumrah, R Ashwin's absence makes India do THIS first since Melbourne 1948 Test

India took the field against Australia on Friday, January 15 at The Gabba without two of their ace bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin. Both Bumrah and R Ashwin got injured earlier and they were yet to recover in time for the series-deciding final Test match. Their exclusion from the playing XI made way for two debutants, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar in the line-up as a depleted Indian unit aims to fight hard to defend their Border-Gavaskar Trophy honour.

R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah injury prompts changes in playing XI

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India vs Australia 4th Test: Ajinkya Rahane and co. matches 1948 feat with Ashwin, Bumrah injury

With injuries to R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, the Indian team management has been forced to field an inexperienced attack in their all-important fourth Test of the series. As many as four Indian bowlers have made their Test debuts in the ongoing series Down Under, with two of them making their debuts in the same series-deciding Test match at the Gabba.

While the second and third Test witnessed the debuts of Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini respectively, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar became cap holders 300 and 301 for India in the final Test. The aforementioned debuts mean that Team India is fielding their least experienced bowling attack since 1948, in terms of number of wickets taken in the format.

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The Ajinkya Rahane-led Indian side took field at the Gabba on Day 1 of the fourth Test with just 13 wickets between them. With T Natarajan and Washington Sundar making their debuts, the only Test wicket takers in India’s 4th Test playing XI are Mohammed Siraj (7 wickets), Navdeep Saini (4 wickets) and part-timer Rohit Sharma (2 wickets). The last time India fielded a bowling line-up with less than 50 Test wickets among them was way back in 1948, also against Australia, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which was against Don Bradman's 'The Invincibles' side as India was led by the great Lala Amarnath.

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India vs Australia live updates

At the time of publishing, Australia reached 153-3 after 54 overs. Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar picked up a wicket each, with the latter two of the three also collecting their first-ever respective Test wickets.

For India vs Australia live streaming in India, fans can tune in to the Sony Pictures Sports Network (SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 3 and SONY SIX). Meanwhile, for India vs Australia live scores, one can visit the official website and social media pages of the BCCI and Cricket Australia. The live streaming of the fourth Test is also available for fans on the SonyLIV app. The India vs Australia 4th Test match is being played at the Gabba in Brisbane between January 15 and 19.

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Image source: BCCI Twitter