Veteran India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra expects Team India to do well in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He added that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has been the visitors’ happy hunting ground as well. The five-match Test series between India and Australia is tied at 1-1 heading into the final two matches in Melbourne and Sydney. While India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, Australia registered a 10-wicket win in the second Test in Adelaide, with the third Test in Brisbane ending in a draw on Wednesday, December 18 as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “What should be expected from Melbourne? We have played well in Melbourne. Interestingly enough, we have not done as well in Sydney as we should have as those conditions suit us a lot. The historical numbers say that. I expect the Indian team to do better in Melbourne. I genuinely feel we will go with a little confidence. Under normal circumstances, if you see a game where you were far behind, where you had to work hard to save the follow-on, it can absolutely smash your spirits, that you were destroyed.”

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“After that, you just go downhill, you go from bad to worse, but here I am getting a feeling from within that it won’t happen like that because of the way they have fought. Sometimes the unity in the team triggers something. It’s a spark that has the ability to become a fire,” Chopra further added.

In the same video, Aakash Chopra also stated that KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj’s performances in Brisbane will make sure that India head to Melbourne with renewed energy as well.

“The way Rahul batted, the way Jaddu batted, the way Bumrah and Akash Deep batted, the way Bumrah bowled in both innings, and Akash Deep and Siraj bowled in the second innings, once you reduce the opposition team to 33/5, agree they were far ahead in the game and could declare because of that, I feel they will go with a renewed vigor to Melbourne. If you are thinking that there would be some changes, I don’t think there will be any unless Siraj’s side-strain issue is persistent. I feel almost cut, copy, paste, the same team, but renewed vigor going to a ground where you have done well previously,” Aakash Chopra concluded.