Australia vs. India 4th Test: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Australia and India bring their Test series to an end in Sydney, but all talk will be of the player who is not playing—Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

India’s former captain unexpectedly retired at the conclusion of the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in a move that surprised everyone involved.

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Date: Tuesday, January 6 – Saturday, January 10

Start time: 10:30 a.m. local time, 23:30 GMT (Monday, Jan. 5)

Live on: Nine Network (Australia), STAR Sports (India), Orbit Show Network (Middle East), PTV Sports (Pakistan), SuperSport (South Africa), Sky Sports (United Kingdom), Sky Sport (New Zealand).

Weather: According to Weather.com, Sydney promises to be mostly sunny, with some clouds on Friday and showers on Saturday. Temperatures are due to peak around 29 degrees Celsius.

Overview

This final Test may be somewhat overshadowed by the recent news of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sudden retirement from Tests, which came in the aftermath of the third game in Melbourne.

The announcement came after the postgame press conference—where it was not mentioned—and said that Dhoni took the decision because of the toll playing all three formats had taken on his body.

It means that Virat Kohli will step into the breach for this game and will likely step into the role in a full-time basis in the near future.

The third Test had been a good game for both teams and finished as a draw as Australia secured the series victory.

The hosts made 530 batting first, led by 192 from captain Steven Smith and 74 from Ryan Harris. Then the visitors replied with 465 thanks to centuries from Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.

Australia then made 318 after Shaun Marsh’s 99, leaving India 384 to win.

They did not chase down their target, and stumps were drawn with the away side teetering on 174-6.

For this game, the Australians have added spinner Ashton Agar to their squad in their only change.

However, for all that, the biggest talk will likely be about Dhoni and his decision to retire.

Team News

Australia (from): Steven Smith (capt.), Brad Haddin, Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson
 
India (from): Virat Kohli (capt.), Varun Aaron, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohammed Shami, Naman Ojha, Akshar Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Lokesh Rahul, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Karn Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav

Key Players

Steven Smith

Australia’s captain, Steven Smith, looked in fine form last time out, as he scored 192 in his side’s first innings.

If he can continue that run and continue to balance his batting with the responsibilities of leadership, he will be key once again.

Virat Kohli

Thrust back into the spotlight as India’s captain and key batsman, Virat Kohli will be relied upon for some stability in the coming days and weeks.

It is a lot to handle, but his 169 in the third Test shows he is in good touch.