A rejuvenated India shorn of Virat Kohli turned the tables on Australia to claim the second Test in Melbourne with a rousing eight-wicket victory within four days and breathe life into the series.
With neighbouring states starting to close the borders with South Australia to try to contain the outbreak, Cricket Australia shifted international players from their Twenty20 and one-day squads north to Sydney.
Beau Webster is just the second player in the Sheffield Shield competition's 132-year history to score more than 900 runs and take 30 wickets in a season. The legendary Gary Sobers was the first to achieve the feat.
With the series locked at 1-1, Brisbane could well decide the course of the rubber and whether Rohit's men would continue to be the master of their fate in the ongoing World Test Championship.
Jasprit Bumrah has reached an impressive milestone in the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings, sitting at 904 rating points
The void left by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement in Indian cricket was quickly filled by Rishabh Pant, said batting great Rahul Dravid.
The 34-year-old Shami, who last played for India in the ODI World Cup final in November 2023, was forced into the long layoff due to an ankle injury that needed surgery.
'He's got a pretty good record against Indian batsmen (123 wickets in 28 Tests versus India).' 'In India too he has a great record (56 wickets in 11 Tests in India), that is a pretty good record against a country that traditionally plays spin very well.'
Sunil Gavaskar has advised India's flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to "respect" the conditions before launching into his attacking strokes
What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
In the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah led India to their most dominant win in Australia, in the series opener in Perth.
'(Bumrah) is so unique, and that's with any of the bowlers, really. Every (batter) picks up different cues and goes about it in a different way.'
Australia's Travis Head and Steve Smith gave India a repeat of their nightmare in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Rohit Sharma has certain choices to make in the best interests of the Indian team heading into the fifth and final Test against Australia.
Gill exhibited some solid defence and handled his bat with comfort as he faced pace and spin.
Former skipper Sourav Ganguly has urged captain Rohit Sharma to travel to Australia 'very soon' to join the Indian team.
After Australia were reduced to 75 for 3, Steve Smith steadied the innings, providing much-needed runs, while Head powered his way to a second consecutive Test century, continuing his prolific form against India.
Aryna Sabalenka will battle American 19th seed Madison Keys in the final on Saturday looking to become the first woman since Martina Hingis from 1997-99 to win the Australian Open title three times in a row.
'He is your battering ram.' 'If you are not going to play him for all five Tests, then you reduce your chances of taking all 20 wickets.'
Rookie Australia opener Nathan McSweeney admitted feeling "devastated" after being dropped for the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, but vowed to work hard to reclaim his spot in the national team.
Ravi Shastri believes Virat Kohli has the potential to turn around his poor form and prosper during the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
India will have to wait until day two to show their skills and may need early wickets to force a third consecutive result in the series.
'Every game that he has been part of, where India has won across formats, you will see that Bumrah has left a big imprint on that game.'
Ravichandran, father of veteran off-spinner Ashwin, said he was caught off guard by his son's sudden retirement from international cricket, but stunningly hinted that there could be underlying reasons for it, including him feeling "humiliated".
India managed to keep the five-Test series level at 1-1 heading into the Boxing day Test in Melbourne, the fragility of their top order remains a major concern for the tourists.
Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have clinched a spot in the prestigious season-ending ATP Finals, marking the Indian's fourth appearance in the tournament.
With a heavy downpour preventing the resumption of play after the break, the match was abandoned and the series remains locked at 1-1.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Saturday.
'We have nothing but respect for every Indian cricketer who takes the field on Friday'
India pace bowler Akash Deep played down concerns over skipper Rohit Sharma's knee injury in the build-up to the fourth Test against Australia this week after the batsman was hit during a practice session on Sunday.
To K L Rahul, a decade-long journey in international cricket has felt like 25 years in which he has had to overcome 'mental challenges' of being a floater in the Indian set-up.
To the clear delight of the fans, however, Djokovic then bounded onto the court after his practice partner had won the first set and proceeded to wrap up a 6-3, 6-3 win over the Italian teenager.
Pat Cummins denies dressing room divide amid speculation over Hazlewood's comments
A dominant Australia hammered India by 10 wickets in the day-night second Test on Sunday to level the five-match series 1-1.
Mohammed Shami is set to compete in the last two Tests of the ongoing series against Australia with his playing kit already headed Down Under
This period saw big stars of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev fade into the sunset while it was witness to the birth of slew of young Indian cricketers that made their mark home and abroad.
'We all knew he was dangerous, but that first shot he played off Jasprit Bumrah, that cover drive, off the front foot.' 'It told me that this is a player in prime, prime form.'
Lavishing praise on young Sam Konstas, former opener David Warner has urged Australia's senior players to adopt a similar aggressive approach when facing Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah
Rohit Sharma on Thursday said that one will need to devise his own methods to deal with the challenges posed by the pink Kookaburra ball during the day/night Test
'It's not jabs anymore. Sunny is throwing haymakers over the top.'
