A record crowd is tipped to pack cricket’s biggest stadium on a day like few others in the sport’s history.
While Australia and India’s fourth Test is sure to be entertaining, the opening day is as much about the ceremony involving India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese.
The Australians have an opportunity to square the Border-Gavaskar trophy in the next five days and leave India with what would be seen as a highly-commendable 2-2 draw.
But Rohit Sharma’s side will be smarting after being blown away in a rare home defeat in Indore.
Follow live with New Corp cricket writer Ben Horne below.
2.36PM AUSTRALIA WINS THE TOSS
Commentators are tipping a batting paradise in the fourth Test at Ahmedebad, but warned Steve Smith’s men face a seaming barrage in the first session.
Australia won the toss and have elected to bat – a massive advantage in Indian conditions – but as the first three Tests have proven, not necessarily make-or-break in the result.
The team that has lost the toss has won all three Tests so far, but Fox Sports experts Brad Haddin and Mark Waugh believe the pitch looks like it could be a good batting wicket.
That said, there’s a feeling there could be plenty there for Indian seamers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav on the first morning.
Players were banned from warming up on the field due to the political rally taking place with Indian PM Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
Australia have named an unchanged side from the team that won the third Test – with Travis Head and Usman Khawaja to open the batting.
India has made one change with Shami in for Mohammad Siraj.
GROUND WARM UPS BANNED AS PM VISIT STEALS SPOTLIGHT
Peter Lalor in India
Enormous crowds have flocked to the even more enormous Narendra Modi Stadium for a critical Test match and a political show the likes cricket has never seen.
Billboards bear his face in the main intersections of Ahmedabad, but the 60 minute spectacle to greet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the cricket on Thursday morning is something to behold.
Details seen by News Corp reveal a mini Olympic opening ceremony when the Australian prime minister attends the game with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the enormous ground named after the Hindu leader.
Albanese and Modi will partake in a lap of honour, standing in an open topped vehicle and partake in an hour long ceremony leading up to the first ball.
“Felicitations” include a performance by 2022 Grammy award-winning American based Indian singer Falguni Shah.
Modi and Albanese will present captains Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith with special Test caps before the toss and will then be introduced to the players.
News Corp revealed last week that the Indian authorities had put aside 85,000 tickets for “local families and students” on the first day in the 132,000 seat stadium.
Tickets for visiting Australian fans were only released after background negotiations following the report.
Albanese is in India leading a top level trade negotiation but the Indian PM has turned the visit to his home town into a celebration of 75 years cricket friendship between the two countries.
The pair will, as part of the carefully choreographed event, inaugurate a Friendship Hall of Fame while the toss and captain interviews take place on the field.
Albanese and Modi will both stand on the field for the playing of their respective national anthems before play begins.
The road to the massive stadium is lined with images of both leaders and a huge billboard has been erected at the Adani stand end with their faces on it.
Security around the stadium is tight but not ridiculous.
The Australians left the team hotel at 7am and were out inspecting the pitch with the sun low in the sky.
Given the choice between a red and black clay pitch the home side has chosen the latter which is said to bound less and further advantage their spinners. That move, however, backfired in Indore where veteran Nathan Lyon with the young pair Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy more than matched them. Credit too to the batters, especially Usman Khawaja who set up the game with a 60.
Lyon took 11 wickets in the game and was awarded the man of the match. The series is 2-1 and a win here would be a huge achievement for the Australians.
India’s loss in India was just the third against a visiting side in the past 10 years.
BUNNINGS SECRET THAT PREPARED MARNUS FOR INDIA
No matter what style of cricket pitch gets thrown at Australia in Ahmedabad, Marnus Labuschagne knows this … he’s batted on a tougher one inside his home.
It was a black mat he bought from Bunnings and he dotted it with random aluminium sheets.
He used it in his backyard and hallway to prepare himself for last year’s tour of Pakistan and has used similar ones since.
Balls fly everywhere at crazy angles on Marnus’ homemade monsters but they do have a broader purpose than boys having fun.
With one Test to play Labuschagne has quietly nibbled, nudged and noodled his way to the top of the Australian averages on tour without slapping down the big innings he obviously craves.
The numbers don’t take the breath away – 178 runs at 35 but in a bowler-dominated series you could argue 35 is more like 50 so it’s comparatively strong.
Labuschagne has scored more runs in India than any other Australian (Usman Khawaja is next best with 153) and faced more balls (375) and scored more fours (27) than any player from either side.
He is yet to crack a half century (49 is his best) but his passion for dodgy deck cricket is such that he gets off the challenge rather than being intimidated by it and is benefited by the crazy challenges he confronts when he takes on his mates on his Bunnings barnstormers at home.
Labuschagne once said if a team scores more than 17 runs in backyard cricket the wicket is too flat.
“Of course it helps,’’ Labuschagne told News Corp earlier this season about batting on treacherous homemade decks.
“I play a lot of backyard cricket with my mates but when I am playing it I am learning. I am not just sitting there hitting balls and mucking around.
“You are always growing. There are definitely times when those skills cross over in to Test cricket.
“Those skills grow. They compile into something. You don’t know when it pays off.’’
Another South African born batsman, Kepler Wessels, found the same thing when he used to deliberately sprinkle the practice nets at Brisbane Valleys with granite before he played for Queensland or Australia.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy may be gone but Australia have much to play for in the last Test.
An Australian victory and a 2-2 result would be an exceptional bottom line for a team which has four players – including its captain – back home due to injury, form or personal reasons.
There are times when Australia seems a moon ride away from winning a series in India and others when it appears within touching distance.
Australia were poised to seriously threaten India in the second Test in Delhi before being bowled out in a session. They were two good batting hours away from potentially being 2-1 up in the series.
Australia’s narrow loss to India in the 2001 series paved the way for a famous Australian victory in 2004.
The lessons of this series may also count for a lot – if Australia is prepared to learn from them.
Originally published as Australia v India 4th Test: Live stream, scores, updates, final teams and start time
