3 things Team India cannot afford to do in the 4th Test vs Australia
Ahmedabad will play host to the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as India look to reclaim the momentum that saw them clinch the first two games before conceding the Indore Test.
Australia exploited India's weaknesses well in the third Test, which was played on a surface that offered turn right from the first session. Nathan Lyon was the Player of the Match for his 11-wicket haul, while Matthew Kuhnemann ran riot in the first innings.
Heading into the last encounter, the hosts will know that they need to get the basics right if they are to seal their spot in the final of the World Test Championship and clinch the trophy outright.
Here are three things India cannot afford to do for the fourth and final Test against Australia.
#3 Rohit Sharma and Co. cannot be as careless with their shot-selection
Almost all of India's batters have played unexplainable shots to get out, right through the series.
Rohit Sharma danced down the track to be stumped in the previous Test. While the intent behind his shot was understandable, the execution was poor, with Kuhnemann just settling into a good spell. His opening partner, Shubman Gill, meanwhile, did the same thing in the second innings to be castled.
The middle-order batters haven't fared much better. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli were dismissed by deliveries that pitched outside leg stump in the opening Test, while Shreyas Iyer has played some rash shots to get out. KS Bharat and Ravindra Jadeja's defensive techniques have been found wanting.
Issues with technique are understandable, but those with temperament are not. India's batters need to get stuck in and ensure that they don't throw their wickets away in such a crucial encounter.
#2 The hosts should not make drastic changes to their side
Rohit Sharma and Co. were beaten quite comprehensively in the third Test. Australia clinched the encounter by nine wickets, and although there were some jitters during the start of the chase, they were ahead of the eight ball throughout.
There are reports floating around that Ishan Kishan might replace KS Bharat for the fourth Test, but that would be grossly unfair on the latter. It would also be tactically strange, given Kishan's troubles against off-spin and Bharat's prowess behind the stumps.
India's general reaction to losses, at least under the previous leadership group, was to shuffle things around drastically and freshen the side up. This time, however, they cannot afford to do that.
The hosts need to chalk off the defeat to some poor cricket and try to back the players who got them wins in the first two Tests.
Sticking to the same team with minimal changes should be India's strategy for the final Test.
#1 India cannot prepare a rank turner
What do the Pune Test of 2017 and the Indore Test of 2023 have in common? Both Border-Gavaskar Trophy encounters produced prodigiously turning wickets that acted as equalizers and helped Australia notch up memorable wins.
India cannot afford to make the same mistake again. They are a good enough side to take 20 wickets on a surface that doesn't offer an unreasonable deal of help, and the same would also help their batters find some runs.
The pitch in Ahmedabad shouldn't be a rank turner. The curators, as well as the result of the toss, will be in focus on Thursday.