Will rain play spoilsport at The Gabba? Pitch report, probable playing XIs and more

A lot is at stake as India take on Australia in the fifth and final T20I of the series in Brisbane on Saturday, November 8. India are now 2-1 up in the five-match T20I series after their impressive win in the fourth match, winning by 48 runs, thereby maintaining their perfect record of never losing a bilateral T20I series in Australia.

Conversely, Australia are aiming to level the series at 2-2 and avoid the embarrassment of losing their fourth consecutive T20I bilateral series against India on home soil. Without Josh Hazlewood, the young and energetic Australian team will find it difficult to combat India’s spin threat, which proved to be a tremendous challenge in the previous T20I on the Gold Coast.

The spin trio of Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar dominated the Australian batsmen throughout the series and fans can’t wait to see how they perform against the spin battle at the Gabba in the fifth T20I.

Match Details

Australia v India, 5th T20I

Date and Time: 8 November 18:15 LOCAL (1:45 IST)

Location: Gabba, Brisbane

Brisbane weather report

Rain in Brisbane on Saturday could disrupt the game, according to AccuWeather. The forecast calls for a 79 percent chance of rain and a 99 percent chance of overcast skies. Additionally, thunderstorm warnings are issued in certain parts of Brisbane in the afternoon, but the chance of thunderstorms decreases to 23 percent at night.

Gabba pitch report

The Gabba in Brisbane has one of the liveliest venues in Australia, known for its consistent nature. Fast bowlers enjoy the advantage of excellent carry and the ball can also swing, weather permitting.

Conversely, batsmen who are good at playing off the back foot find this area advantageous, as the bounce of the wicket can work to their advantage, allowing the ball to fly off their bats when they focus.

Similar to many Australian pitches, spinners will find limited spin or grip; but those who can maintain perfect length, use good bounce and take advantage of wide boundaries can still claim wickets.

Possible 11s

Australia: Mitch Marsh (c), Matt Short, Josh Inglis (week), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen/Josh Philippe, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman/Ben Dwarshius

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (week), Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

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