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.
Virat Kohli received a thunderous standing ovation from a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground as he strode out to bat, likely for the final time in Australia.
Taking his 17th Test five-wicket haul, he finished with 7 for 58 off 12.5 overs.
Shreyas Iyer's battle against Josh Hazlewood continued on a rain-hit Perth afternoon in the first ODI at the Optus Stadium on Sunday
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
Virat Kohli was dismissed for an eight-ball duck -- the first time he had fallen without scoring in an ODI in Australia.
Steve Smith said the decision to drop Nathan Lyonwas taken to strengthen the pace-bowling department.
Starc further commented that Doggett could handle the pressure of the Ashes series, as he seemed to be the third pacer in Australia's attack.
Reeling from injuries to captain Pat Cummins and paceman Josh Hazlewood, Australia have received a boost ahead of the first Ashes Test in Perth starting Friday, with Cameron Green telling reporters he is ready to bowl free of any restrictions.
This knock was Rohit at his best, mixing patience, power, and timing with finesse.
Even as the rain poured, the mood in the stands never did. Ponchos, cheers and chants filled the arena as fans danced through the drizzle, refusing to let the weather wash away their excitement.
Rohit Sharma hit a century and Virat Kohli a bright 74 to drive India to a nine-wicket win in the third one-day international on Saturday
The hype around Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's much-awaited return to international cricket quickly gave way to disappointment in Perth, as both faltered against Australia's fast bowlers in the first ODI after an eight-month hiatus.
Liam Livingstone struggled in IPL 2024 -- managing just 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 133.33, with a lone half-century apart from taking only two wickets.
Players including Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, and Alyssa Healy highlighted the controversy in a playful, teasing manner.
Australia captain Pat Cummins is back bowling multiple overs on a reduced run-up and has targeted returning to the team for the second Ashes Test against England, a day-nighter in Brisbane starting on December 4.
Sangha has featured in seven T20Is, taking a four-fer against South Africa in 2023
Young India opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued to occupy the top spots among batters and bowlers in the latest ICC Men's T20 Players' Rankings issued on Wednesday.
The Aussies also named a 14-player group for the first two T20I matches against India, with Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis earning recalls after they missed the recent T20I series with South Africa.
In a rain-marred contest at Canberra, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav lit up the night with a couple of towering sixes - enough to take him into an elite club of T20I power-hitters, becoming only the second Indian after Rohit Sharma to reach 150 sixes in the format.
Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday.
All-rounder Cameron Green will miss the three-match ODI series against India due to side soreness.
Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the Test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile.
Pat Cummins on Saturday rated himself a "half chance" to play the day-night Test against England in Brisbane from December 4.
Former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's below-par showing in the first ODI against Australia in Perth.
Australia batter Matthew Short believes his team's pacers will continue to exploit Virat Kohli's recent weakness outside off stump when India face Australia in the second ODI, in Adelaide, on Thursday.
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Travis Head after his 69-ball century, the second-fastest in Ashes history, helped Australia easily chase down 205 runs on Day 2 of first Ashes Test.
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
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.
Rohit Sharma followed up his knock of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide with a match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney to be named the Player of the Series.
Josh Hazlewood decided to give this year's IPL a miss in order to spend some time with his family.
Only three England captains have secured the urn in Australia in the last 50 years, with Andrew Strauss the last in 2010/11.
After Sunday's defeat in Perth, the three-match series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.
The three are in their mid-30s and with Cummins dealing with a lumbar bone stress injury, and Starc taking international retirement from T20s, there is a feeling the end of an era is not too far.
Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled a famed Indian top-order with a probing spell to kill the contest as Australia cantered to a four-wicket victory in the second T20 International.
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.
Suryakumar Yadav was back in his element with some spectacular hits but inclement weather proved to be a complete dampener as the first T20 International against Australia was called off
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
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.
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