IND vs AUS: Third Test Match Update: Today, December 14, the third Test match between India and Australia is taking place at the Gabba in Brisbane. In this five-match series, both teams are currently tied, with one win each. India secured a victory by 295 runs in the first Test in Perth, while Australia bounced back in the second Test in Adelaide, winning by 10 wickets. In that second Test, the Indian batsmen struggled significantly, and the entire team couldn’t even manage to play 80 overs across both innings. Before the third Test, Shubman Gill spoke at a press conference about the team’s preparations. He mentioned that coach Morne Morkel often teases them by sharing stories from his younger days. The pitch curator for the Brisbane Test has indicated that the pitch will look traditional, offering both pace and bounce. Shubman noted that Morne enjoys bowling on such pitches and often jokes about how he used to perform in his youth. He also keeps an eye on how the Indian bowlers are delivering the ball during the game. Morne Morkel’s Career Morne Morkel, a former South African bowler, is currently the bowling coach for the Indian team, having been appointed on August 14, 2024. Throughout his career, he played 86 Test matches for South Africa, taking 309 wickets. He has also played 117 ODIs and 44 T20s, claiming 235 wickets over his **12-year career. Morkel has previously coached the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL for two years and was a preferred choice of head coach Gautam Gambhir. He also served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan team but resigned in December 2023 after Pakistan was eliminated in the group stage of the 2023 World Cup Additionally, he has experience coaching the New Zealand women’s team. Current Status of the Third Test As for the third Test, the Indian team won the toss and chose to bowl first. However, the match has faced interruptions due to persistent rain. By lunch, Australia had scored 28 runs without losing any wickets in 13.2 overs. India has made two changes for this match, bringing in Aakashdeep in place of fast bowler Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja instead of Ravichandran Ashwin.
