3 areas of concern for India ahead of the 5th BGT 2024/25 Test ft. dressing room atmosphere

India are all set to complete their tour of Australia with a high-profile encounter at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The visitors need a win in the final Test of the series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The series is currently 2-1 in Australia's favor following their thumping 184-run win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The hosts are high on both form and confidence, while their opponents have been ravaged by uncertainties on all fronts.

On that note, here are three major areas of concern for India ahead of the fifth Test against Australia.

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#3 Are India in the best frame of mind right now?

India Men's Test Squad Training Session - Source: Getty

Unpleasant reports have dominated news recently, with India seemingly dealing with a difficult dressing room environment. Some suggest that Rohit Sharma is all set to be dropped for the fifth Test, with head coach Gautam Gambhir refusing to name the skipper in the XI at a pre-match press conference.

Gambhir's leadership style has reportedly been questioned by the players, with rumors of unrest doing the rounds. There are also clear questions over the position of players like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, who haven't been at their best for quite a while now.

There's no confirmation of the above reports, but it's easy to understand that leaks wouldn't happen from a happy dressing room. There's clearly unrest, and India will need to fight that apart from the opposition.

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#2 Who will partner Jasprit Bumrah?

India Men's Test Squad Training Session - Source: Getty

Akash Deep has been ruled out of the Sydney Test with a back niggle, leaving India to choose between Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana to partner Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. That will greatly weaken the team's pace attack ahead of a match where a green top is expected to be rolled out by the hosts.

Prasidh seems to be the front-runner, but his hit-the-deck style of bowling might be suited more to the pacier venues Down Under. Quality swing and seam bowlers are likely to enjoy conditions in Sydney, and Jasprit Bumrah is probably India's only real option on that front.

The visitors have been wholly reliant on Bumrah so far, and it remains to be seen if he'll have any support.

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#1 What is India's ideal batting order?

India Men's Test Squad Training Session - Source: Getty

If Rohit is dropped, as reports suggest, Shubman Gill will likely enter the fray once again. No. 3 might not be an ideal position for the youngster, who is clearly susceptible to movement.

What does India's ideal batting order look like? There isn't a clear answer to that question, and an important encounter like the Sydney Test will need to be confronted amid that uncertainty.

Reports have indicated that India might even play Dhruv Jurel ahead of Washington Sundar in a bid to boost their batting. That would leave the off-color Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spinner, and team combination is bound to be a major problem for the two-time World Test Championship finalists.