Steve Smith struck his sixth century against India and found an able ally in Glenn Maxwell as Australia reached 299 for 4 on the opening day of the 3rd Test in Ranchi. Here are the statistical highlights from the 1st day's play.
Ravindra Jadeja known for his quick and sharp fielding tactics has earned praise from several former players and respect from the current stars and Steve Smith is no different.
Kohli gained two points for his half-century to get to 888 while Smith (911) lost 10 points in the table after scoring 1 and 1 in his two innings.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped from the Test side during the tour of West Indies in June-July, has since hit three centuries in one-dayers and a couple more in Sheffield Shield for Queensland.
'As a captain it makes my life a lot easier knowing you've got lots of settled players there.'
For most IPL teams, the 2026 mini auction will be all about strategic buys and role-specific additions, while for a couple of others, it is going to be a captain-centric affair.
Nicholas Pooran, who announced his retirement from all international formats on Tuesday, has been appointed as the captain of MI New York in the Major League Cricket
The Perth Stadium curator has promised the wicket will be green, fast and bouncy but Stokes offered no thoughts on whether England would attack with four quicks or pick the specialist spinner, Shoaib Bashir, in their 11.
Joe Root scored his 37th Test hundred on Friday to go past the tally of former India skipper Rahul Dravid and contemporary Steve Smith.
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
Smith's tally of 774 runs from seven innings with a Bradmanesque 110-plus average in a bowler-dominated series illustrates how he single-handedly carried Australia's run-scoring burden.
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
'He should be blooded into the senior team immediately, like Sachin was all those years ago.'
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
Smith has been in a bio-bubble since August when they toured England before moving to the protected environment of the IPL in September.
'India not the strongest bowling unit without Ishant Sharma'
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
With nine Test centuries against India at home, Joe Root set a new record for the most by any batter against a single opponent in home Tests.
Centurion Steve Smith praised Australia's bowlers after they reduced England to 107 for eight in the first innings to set up a victory bid in the fifth and final Ashes Test on Friday.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
Gillespie said that he feels that either one of Labuschagne or Usman Khawaja, the 38-year-old who failed to touch double-digits in both WTC final innings, will miss out on West Indies tour, which comprises three Tests, starting June 25.
Australia had an intense three-hour practice session at the ICC Academy in Dubai, focusing on their play against spin.
Showing an insatiable hunger to learn and succeed, Shubman Gill turned to senior players and former greats for insights, embodying the ethos of a student of the game.
'It does look like quite a dry surface and I think the footmarks will definitely come into play as the game wears on.'
Steve Smith capped a remarkable season by sweeping the main awards at the annual Allan Border Medal ceremony
They will meet the winner of Wednesday's second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday.
The star batter's aggression has been a fire to forge inspiration and motivation, but it has also led to some unnecessary controversies in the red-ball format.
Steve Smith's pointers to Riyan Parag on the technique of playing red ball helped him in the Ranji season where he ended with 492 runs for Assam, including a hundred and three half-centuries.
Mitch Owen has been rewarded for his fine form in his first five Twenty20 internationals by being named in both of Australia's squads for short-format series against South Africa in the far north of the country next month.
He also admitted to learning a lot from 'one of the best players in the world', his teammate Steve Smith.
Root reached the milestone during his 69th WTC appearance - a single pushed to deep backward square leg brought up yet another half-century and sealed his place in the record books.
Batting under lights on a lively track, Australia then suffered a collapse of their own and finished day two on 99-6 for an overall lead of 181 as they look to complete a series sweep.
Joe Root is the leading run-scorer at Lord's across all international formats, amassing 2,526 runs in 33 matches at the Home of Cricket.
Australian batter Steve Smith is "focussed" on taking them all head on in the game beginning in Adelaide on Friday.
Young spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly will replace injured Matthew Short in the Australian squad for the knock-out stages of the ongoing Champions Trophy.
