Iyer, who returned to international action after a long injury layoff following a spleen laceration with internal bleeding sustained during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney in October last year, said he was delighted to begin the series on a winning note.
The 410km stage from Wadi Ad Dawasir to the overnight bivouac, first half of a marathon stage, was won by 21-year-old Polish non-factory Toyota driver Eryk Goczal.
England's batting mainstay Joe Root scored his 41st Test century during the fifth Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney on Monday.
Jannik Sinner was in ominous form on the Rod Laver Arena court he has ruled for two years before the match was cut short.
All-rounder Max Maxwell, who has been sidelined by a wrist injury, will come in for the last three games, while Test certainty Josh Hazlewood will skip the last three games.
The legendary Ricky Pointing has advised Australia all-rounder Cameron Green to keep things simple and not over analyse or tinker with his game in order to find the right approach in Tests.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Melbourne with only one mission in mind -- claim a first Australian Open title to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
If selected, it would be the fast-medium pacer's first Test since taking five wickets in a heavy defeat by New Zealand in Hamilton a year ago.
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
The 32-year-old Cummins would be watching the action unfold from the sidelines due to a back injury.
Travis Head proved England's nemesis once again as he scored his second century of the Ashes to carry Australia toward a seemingly inevitable series triumph on day three at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the matches played at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
From the commentary box in Vadodara, Harsha Bhogle delivered a blunt reminder: in the rush to judge young cricketers online, India may be losing sight of what actually matters -- performances on the field.
India U-19 completed their clean sweep of Australia U-19 in the latter's backyard with a seven-wicket win in the second and final Youth Test, in Mackay on Wednesday.
Tilak Varma made a strong claim for selection in India's 50-over format with an attractive 94 but Australia A came back strongly to win the rain-affected second List A game by nine wickets, in Kanpur, on Friday.
'Australia is his favourite hunting ground, and now he is making his comeback after the IPL. I am really looking forward to seeing him bat in those three ODIs, and hopefully, out of those three, he gets at least two centuries for India.'
All-rounder Cameron Green will miss the three-match ODI series against India due to side soreness.
KL Rahul opened up about his on-field role in mentoring Harshit Rana during the tense chase against New Zealand in the first ODI in Vadodara, describing the experience as enjoyable.
Nick Kyrgios will only feature in the doubles at the Australian Open, which begins at Melbourne Park on January 18.
Despite piling up runs in domestic cricket and delivering whenever handed a chance for India, Sarfaraz Khan remains on the sidelines -- a situation that former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has described as both baffling and unfair.
Richardson has, so far, played three Test matches since making his debut in 2018-19. The pacer has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 22.09.
Iga Swiatek heads into Melbourne Park with the Australian Open title the only gap on her Grand Slam resume, but the world number two is keen to avoid setting herself targets for the new season and says her main goal is to improve her game.
Telangana Police confirm that Sajid Akram, a suspect in the Bondi beach shooting in Australia, is originally from Hyderabad. He migrated to Australia 27 years ago.
Batters Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox have been axed while seamer Saqib Mahmood could not retain his place either.
Bencic and Paul coasted through the first set but won a total of just 12 points in the second set as the match went into a tiebreak.
Seeking to restore structure and respect to the longest format, Gill has asked the BCCI for a 15-day preparation window before every Test assignment, a move that has resonated strongly with former cricketers.
GS Lakshmi of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction as Australia were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.
With the 2026 T20 World Cup fast approaching, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted for a bold shake-up, dropping marquee players such as Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi from the T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series.
Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi showed glimpses of his batting prowess before wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu and Vedant Trivedi's unbeaten half-centuries powered India U-19 to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Australia U-19 in the first Youth ODI, in Brisbane on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins also commented on the DRS controversy, noting that RTS appeared to be different from UltraEdge.
Novak Djokovic said he would step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association, citing concerns over transparency and governance within the organisation.
Carlos Alcaraz beat his great rival Jannik Sinner 7-5, 7-6(8) to win their Hyundai Card Super Match exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea, on Saturday that marked the start of the season for the world's top two men's tennis players.
Harman's record as captain untouchable, she has another 4-5 years to offer: Jhulan Goswami
Virat Kohli has returned to India, ready to rejoin the national squad ahead of the ODI series in Australia.
Captain Ben Stokes believes England can build on the positives from their loss in the third Ashes Test to Australia in Adelaide as they look to claim the country's first win Down Under in almost 15 years in the series' two remaining tests.
England flirted with a comeback for the ages on Sunday, with Will Jacks, Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse putting up brave stands, but Australia's Mitchell Starc took three wickets to end the resistance.
Venus Williams will return to the Australian Open after receiving a wildcard entry, the tournament's organisers said on Friday, marking her first appearance at Melbourne Park in five years.
As Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner prepare for their season-opening exhibition match in Incheon, the world's top two men's tennis players floated the prospect of one day playing together in a doubles tournament.
All-rounder Sikandar Raza has been named captain of the Zimbabwe squad for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next month, while veteran batter Brendan Taylor and spinner Graeme Cremer have been included.
It was a wild ride while it lasted but the 'Bazball' revolution that enlivened English cricket for three years collapsed in 11 days on Australian soil in an Ashes defeat as harrowing as any in the modern era.
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