Sydney, Jan 2: For team India the first test match of the new year will also be a test of its mettle with the side down 1-2 in the five test series against arch-rivals Australia. And as India gear up for what promises to be a battle for the ages at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Coach Gambhir has laid out the team philosophy. The coach firmly underlined that the team would always come first.

"There is only one tendency and there is only one discussion - it's the team first ideology that matters. You need to play what the team needs. You can still play your natural game in a team sport - but if the team needs you - you need to play in a certain way," the head coach

The coach also said that at the moment the team was only focussed on the goal on winning the Sydney Test.

"Every individual knows in which area they need to work. When you play for your country, you want to give your best. I think the debates between a player and a coach should remain between them - conversations should be restricted to the dressing room. Everything is fine with Rohit and we will announce that (Playing 11) tomorrow, after seeing the pitch. We had just one conversation in our dressing room - how we will win the next test, as it is important for us," 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. Head coach Gambhir said that 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 pre-match press conference.

The right-arm fast-medium pacer made his Test debut in 2024 against England, following which he has played seven matches and bagged 15 wickets for the country at an economy rate of 3.59. Meanwhile, he has also scored 83 runs at a strike rate of 49.40 after appearing in 7 Test matches and 10 innings. Akash Deep has played two matches in the ongoing five-match BGT series, where he picked up five wickets at an average of 54.00.

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. Currently, Australia lead 2-1 over India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India will take on Australia in the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3.

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)

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