Australia vs India, Boxing Day Test: The Indian group led by Ajinkya Rahane — stand-in skipper for the final 3 Test matches of the series for Virat Kohli who left for the birth of his initial youngster — will face Australia at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the “Boxing Day” on Saturday.
The fixture is a hallowed cricketing tradition which entails touring sides playing a Test match game at the MCG on the day soon after Christmas, December 26 each year – or basically, on the ‘Boxing Day’.
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What is the ‘Boxing Day’?
Although the precise origin of the ‘Boxing Day’ tradition is unknown, theories recommend that it relates to the practice of putting handouts in alm-boxes at churches which has been going on considering that Middle Ages. The offerings collected in these “Christmas boxes” was distributed amongst the poor and down-trodden on the day soon after Christmas, or basically on the ‘Boxing Day’ – therefore the name.
Several Commonwealth nations celebrate December 26th as the ‘Boxing Day’ and Test matches are held in cricket-playing nations like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In the United Kingdom, most leading-tier English Premier League (EPL) football fixtures are played on this day.
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How has India fared in Boxing Day Tests against Australia?
India’s overall performance in the Boxing Day fixture has been abysmal. India has played 8 matches against Australia on the Boxing Day and lost 5 and drawn two of them. But, Ajinkya Rahane’s males can take hope from the truth that the final time India and Australia met in a Boxing Day Test match at the MCG — in 2018 — India came up trumps thanks to a trademark gritty Cheteshwar Pujara innings of 106 runs (off 319 deliveries that lasted 481 minutes!) and Jasprit Bumrah’s 9 wickets in the game.
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Teams for the Australia vs India Boxing Day Test match 2020:
Australia XI: Tim Paine (captain and wk), Joe Burns, Matthew Wade, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins, Josh Jazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.
India XI: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.