Sydney: Ahead of the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India head coach Gautam Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" that his side will win the Sydney Test against Australia.
Australia clinched an 184-run victory over India in the Melbourne Test and took a 2-1 lead in the series, also ending India's chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord's early next year.
India will take on Australia in the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gambhir said that they have the skill set and the individuals to win the fifth and final match of the series. The head coach added that with the skill set they have got they can achieve great things in the future.
"Extremely, extremely confident. You know, we've got the skill set, we've got the individuals, we've got everything in the dressing room that can win a test match here. Not only here, but probably go on to do some unbelievable things in the future as well. So, extremely confident," Gambhir said.
The team will have to see one forced change with head coach Gautam Gambhir confirming that pacer Akash Deep will not feature in the final match of the series. The 28-year-old pacer has a back injury which will force him out of the playing eleven at the Sydney Test.
"As of now, Akash Deep is out (for the fifth test) due to a back injury," Gambhir said at the press conference ahead of the match.
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana. (ANI)