While the young Indian team showed great resolve to earn a creditable draw in England, the series exposed several weaknesses that need urgent attention.
'You have a lot of options if you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and you can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad...'
Ignored by the national selectors for T20 set-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal sent another stern reminder to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with a blistering 48-ball century as defending champions Mumbai crushed Haryana by four wickets in a high-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League B match, in Ambi, Pune, on Sunday.
England have not won the Ashes in Australia after losing the first Test since the 1950s but McCullum and Stokes will remain convinced they can turn the series around, just as they did against South Africa in 2022 when they won 2-1 after losing the opener at Lord's.
Hazlewood said he was keyed up for the massive summer with the Ashes beginning November 21.
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can extend their careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup if the two Indian superstars continue their age-defying batting efforts, feels New Zealand pace great Tim Southee.
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
'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.'
'Feeling really good that I'm the Player of the Match in a World Cup match. People in my village would be proud. They've put on a big LED screen to watch the match.'
Mohammed Shami was once ignored for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, despite having proved his fitness in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
"I didn't even know there was an Indian women's cricket team," said pacer Kranti Goud as she reminisced her journey from Madhya Pradesh's obscure Ghuwara village to the very top of the sport she picked up by chance.
Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
The injury-prone Bumrah played the first, third and fourth Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar five-match series, skipping two matches with Mohammed Siraj leading the pace-bowling attack.
As India look to bounce back from the crushing defeat in the series opener against England in Leeds, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the second Test in Edgbaston, scheduled to begin on July 2, has been a hot topic of discussion.
Injuries prevented Archer appearing in subsequent Ashes series but the 30-year-old is now fit and firing and will be part of England's high-octane pace attack that many think could power them to a first series win in Australia since 2010-11.
South African captain Temba Bavuma on Sunday said his game is built around an unshakeable defence, which stood him in good stead on a disintegrating Eden Gardens track, where 38 wickets fell inside eight sessions.
Handed the reins of a depleted Indian side in his maiden stint as Test captain, the 24-year-old has been tasked with breaking a 17-year drought without the experience of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli by his side.
SMAT: Haryana beat Bengal to enter Super 8s, Punjab also qualify
Marco Jansen demolished the Indian batting line-up with a six-wicket haul before South Africa extended their lead on Day 3 of the second and final Test.
The 24-year-old pacer, handed his maiden international cap, is being hailed as a 'good replacement' by former India quick Varun Aaron
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
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.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Monday he was more likely than not to miss the first Ashes Test in Perth next month and is not absolutely certain of being fit for the second in Brisbane.
The high-scoring IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam, which witnessed batters clobbering 29 sixes and 34 boundaries in total, five bowlers came up with decent bowling spells and withstood the onslaught.
Growing up, he sharpened his skill watching videos of West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and Indian legend Ravichandran Ashwin. He was fortunate to meet Ashwin during a stint with KKR in the IPL.
Washington Sundar enhanced his reputation as a T20 hitter with India batting in top gear through the innings to comfortably chase down a target of 187 for a series levelling five-wicket win over Australia.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
James Anderson joins an elite list of English cricket icons including Sir Ian Botham, Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Sir Alastair Cook, and Sir Andrew Strauss, to have been honoured with a knighthood.
If India win Women's World Cup it would be a seismic moment: England captain Sciver-Brunt
With the scars of last year's home series whitewash against New Zealand still raw, preparing rank turners may invite risk.
'He should be blooded into the senior team immediately, like Sachin was all those years ago.'
Starc dismantled SRH's top order with sheer pace, while Kuldeep's control in the middle overs ensured there was no way back for the batting side.
Trescothick, who played in three Ashes campaigns including a triumphant 2005 series on home soil, said England's batters were also looking to be smarter on the pitch.
Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, setting J&K 243 runs to win the season-opening match.
Dinesh Karthik and ex-England pace bowling stalwart Stuart Broad weighed in on the fate of the third Test at Lord's, with all possible results still on the cards.
Kolkata Knight Riders splashed the cash as they spent a record breaking Rs 25.20 to buy Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.
Formidable India have their tails up as they head to the gargantuan MCG for the second T20I against Australia here on Friday, thanks to the influx of young talent and the return to form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
'When I joined the India team, M S Dhoni had told me, "Kisi ki baaton mein nahin aana. Jab tu acha karega, toh poori duniya tumhare saath rahegi, aur jab kharaab karega, yahi duniya tujhe gaali degi".'
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