India have ‘rested’ Rohit Sharma and will bat first
Jasprit Bumrah advances to the toss alongside Pat Cummins.
Thus, the dismissal of Rohit Sharma is confirmed, although the Indians present it as something else.
Bumrah gets his first job, winning the toss and electing to bat, saying that Rohit “chose to rest” for this match. Okay, friend.
“Our captain has shown his leadership and has chosen to rest in this match,” says Bumrah.
“It shows that there is a lot of unity in our team, that there is no selfishness, whatever is best for the team, we are looking to do it.”
Charging
And if you believe that, I have some swamp land that I would like to sell to you.
Cummins says Australia would have batted first too, but hopes the overcast conditions can help them move the ball a little this morning.
Only one change for Australia, with Beau Webster replacing Mitch Marsh, so Mitchell Starc must have overcome those back injury problems.
Eyes on the sky as always in Sydney
Given the history of rain ruining the SCG Tests of late, there were no doubt some nerves when fans arrived and saw the covers on a wet Sydney surface.
There are clouds around, but the forecast is not too bad for today and should only improve in the coming days.
We don’t expect massive rain delays.
Hello and welcome to the beginning of the end.
It is almost time for the start of the fifth and final Test of this dramatic series between Australia and India.
Mick Doyle and I will be here to cover every moment of what will hopefully be a dramatic closing to a brilliant series.
Stick around, because there’s a lot to do before a ball is even thrown.
